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n^.
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Reminiscences
of
A War-Time Statesman
and Diplomat
1830-1915
By
Frederick W# Seward
A.ssiitant Seeretary of State during the Admmittrationi of
Linooki, Johnaon, and Hayea
Illustrated
G. P. Putnam's Sons
New York and London
TTbe fmlcftetboclter pte00
1916
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ConruGBT, 1916
BY
ANNA M. SEWARD
Second Impression
• • • *
Vbe Itnfcfcettocket ptu§t ftew Vorfc
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PREFACE
My long life is drawing toward its close. The portions
of it that will have interest for those who are to come
after me, I suppose are chiefly those which illustrate the
character of the times and the characteristics of the
persons concerned in them. So I set down my recollec-
tions of some of them here. Some of them have already
been narrated in my Life and Letters of William H. Seward.
F. W. S.
M024TROSB-ON-HUDSON
1914
m
349315
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CONTENTS
PART I
BEFORE THE WAR
First Recollections
Hotel Life in Albany .
Christmas ....
My Great-Grandmother
A Carriage Journey
First Visit to Washington .
"Colonel John" .
The Panic of 1837— Shinplasters
"Henry Clay at Auburn" ,
The Governor's Mansion
New Year's Day in Albany
A Political Caricature . .
The Pearl Street Academy .
Early Railroad Experiences
Early Theatrical Memories
Applicants for Pardons ,
The "Morus multicaulis" Fever
The Harrison Campaign of 1840
VAGB
I
2
3
"^
9
17
19
21
22
23
28
30
31
34
36
38
42
44
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vi Contents
PAGS
The Heldbrberg War 4^
An Artistic Contest 53
John Quincy Adams at Auburn .... 56
Entering College 58
Leaving College 66
Washington in '49 and '50)
V . . • • 68
The Compromise Debate j
The "Evening Journal" Office .... 84
Editorial Topics 90
A New Word 91
A Thanksgiving Relic 92
Albany Life 95
An Albany Concert 96
Kossuth at Albany 98
The Fugitive Slave Law 105
Van Zandt and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" . .111
A Village of Louis XIV.'s Time . . . .115
Anticosti 120
Napoleon III. and Eug£;nib at Compi^gne . . 128
PART II
DURING THE WAR
The Baltimore Plot 134
The Old State Department . . . .139
The Month of Suspense 145
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Contents vii
VAGS
Thb Call to Arms 150
Washington Beleaguered 155
The War Begun 157
A College Classmate 161
General Scott 165
General Scott's Stories 169
Saint Cyr Cadets 171
The Circular Dispatch ON THE MiUTARY Situation . 172
Under Fire from a French Frigate . . .173
Why Maryland did not Secede . . . .175
France and England vs. the United States . . 178 /^
After Bull Run 181 '
The French Princes 181
Mount Vernon in War Time . .185
The "Trent" Case 186
A Series of Victories 193
A Cruise between Two Armies 194
A Season of Reverses and Depression • 204
Farmers' Boys in Battle 206
The Military Situation 212
I Our Foreign Relations in the War . . .213
A Moorish Episode 219
Signing the Emanupation Proclamation 226
A Visit to the Army of the Potomac . .228
An Excursion with the Diplomatic Corps . . 236
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Contents
Changing the Commanding General
Altered Aspect of the War
Washington during Early's Raid
The Year's Record • . . ,
The End of the War . . . ,
Last Meeting of Lincoln and Seward
Lincoln's Last Cabinet Meeting .
Assassination Night . . • .
After the Assassination
PAGS
238
249
@
258
262
PART III
AFTER THE WAR
Our West Indian Cruise At Sea .
St. Thomas .
Santa Cruz .
San Domingo
Hayti .
At Havana .
A Year's Interval
A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo
The Story of Alaska
The Story of Alaska— The Treaty of Purchase
My Father's Diary— and Others
Oriental Indemnity Funds . . . •
263
283
302
306
315
328
343
344
356
360
365
368
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Contents ix
PAGS
Tas Japanese Commissioners 371
China's Entry into the Field of Diplomacy . 375
The Portrait Gallery 381
The "Great Tyee" in Alaska . . . • 383
The Guest of a Nation 390
Napoleon III. and his Ministers )
y . . • 420
A Talk with M. Drouyn de l'Huys j
Retirement to the Country .... 429
Legislative Life 429
A Puzzled Potentate 431
The Vice-President of the Confederacy . . 432
The Recognition of Porfirio Diaz . . . 435
The Story of Samoa 437
A Night Move against a Mob .... 441
The Outcome of a Fugitive Slave Case . . 445
Country Life 447
President Arthur and the Yorktown Centennial 447
Taxation in New York 453
Alaska Revisited 455
" The Inland Passage . . • • 455
" Our Passengers 456
" Wrangel 456
" Sitka 457
" Glaciers 4^
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Contents
Alaska, The Tredwell Mine
" Juneau ....
" Skagway ....
" The White Pass Railroad
The Alaska Boundary Dispute .
Hudson Centennial Celebrations
Epilogue — History and Memory .
Index
460
461
461
462
46y»
469
471
473
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ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGB
Frederick W. Seward .... Frontispiece
William H. Seward 2
Frederick W. Seward, as he Looked in 1866 . 342
Signing the Treaty for the Purchase of Alaska . 360
Piom the paintiiig by Leutze
Frederick W. Seward's Residence at Montrose-
on-the-Hudson 446
View from Frederick W. Seward's Residence on
the Hudson River 454
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Reminiscences
of
A War-Time Statesman and Diplomat
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Reminiscences
of a
War-Time Statesman
And Diplomat
PART I
Before the War
1833.
First Recollections. Here is the first scene of which I
have any vivid and connected remembrance.
My brother and I, sleeping together in the trundle bed,
are suddenly awakened at night, and find the candles all
lighted. My father is kindling a fire in the small box stove.
Then my mother takes me up to be dressed. From the
talk between her and the nurse, I learn that we are about
to start on a journey, and that it is three o'clock in the
morning. Peering out of the window I see that it all
looks dark, except that the grotmd is covered with snow.
At the gate are two bright lanterns, and horses are stamp-
ing in the snow. This, I am told, means that the sleigh-
stage is there, in which we are to travel. The whole
scene is novel and exhilarating, but suddenly changes,
when we get inside of the dark, cold stage, groping for
seats among the buffalo skins. The curtains are fastened
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\^' . : ; . '. . Hotel Life in Albany
down, the windows closed. Shuffling of feet and subdued
voices are heard, from which I know there are other pas-
sengers, but can see nothing. The stage starts and goes
sliding and bumping over the rough road. Wrapped up
and in my mother's lap, I soon fall into a doze, and after
a series of naps, wake up again in daylight, to be told that
we have come twenty-six miles to Syracuse.
Two or three dreary, weary days and nights in the
stage now follow, varied only by stopping to change
horses, to get meals and occasional hours of sleep. This
is the method of journesdng from Auburn to Albany, in
the year 1833. *
January, 1834.
Hotel Life in Albany. Now we are living in a hotel at
Albany. It is called "Bement's.'* In front of it is a
broad, smooth, sloping road, covered with ice and snow.
This, I am told, is "State Street." The sim is shining
through our frosty, windows. Sleigh bells are jingling
and people are walking briskly up and down the hill.
Ever3rthing looks bright and cheerful. Indoors, oiu*
rooms are light and warm. There is a fire in the grate.
There are toys and pictures, and other children to play
with. There are nuts and raisins and various sweet
things at dinner. There is plenty of light and plenty of
noise. On the whole, I like hotel life very much.
Many visitors come in, all polite to my mother, and
some very kindly to me. There are three whose visits
are frequent. These are my "Uncle Cary," my "Uncle
Tracy,'' and "Uncle Weed." I am fond of all of them,
especially the latter. He is a tall, dark-haired man, with
a very gentle voice, who takes long and vigorous strides
as he walks up the street. They are not my "real"
uncles — not my father's brothers — ^but his intimate friends.
They often go with him up the hill, to the large building
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Christmas 3
of red freestone, with a white cupola, having a statue on
top. The statue represents "Justice," they tell me; and
that is the Capitol, where my father goes to attend to hfe
business in the Senate.
December, 1834.
Christmas. Christmas morning at Auburn! Every-
thing is gay and full of fun. I do not remember much of
other Christmases; nevertheless it seems to me a long
established custom, and from what I have heard about
it, I am expecting a joyous day. My mother says we
must not get up to look at our stockings hanging by the
fireplace, until each has counted, in French, the years of
his age. It is a part of the general fun to discover that
my age is equivalent to a cat (quatre), and that my
brother's is wheat (huit). Then, a mad rush for the
stockings, which of course are loaded with toys and candy.
There is a red-coated soldier with a black shako. There
is a dog that opens his mouth and barks and there are
other marvels. I take mine down to show to my grand-
father. "Merry Christmas, Grandpa!" "What!" he
says, "is this Christmas? Then I must make you some-
thing." He picks up a piece of wood, and by deft and
skilful use of his jack-knife has presently completed a
miniature snow-shovel. In the kitchen, where the ser-
vants and children are congregated, an earnest debate
arises over the question whether Santa Claus is a real
person or not. My brother, with the wisdom and experi-
ence of eight years, cuts the argument short by saying,
"Anyhow there is somebody. Things can't get into the
stockings just of themselves." To this conclusion we all
agree.
My Great-Grandmother. She is sitting by the window,
not far from the blazing woodfire on the hearth. Behind
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4 My Great-Grandmother
her rocking chair is the high comer cupboard, containing
her treasures, into which we are not allowed to pry. She
is an erect, stately little body, notwithstanding her eighty-
four years, with white hair and neat prim lace cap and
collar, silk neckerchief, and grey dress. Her kind old
eyes beam through gold-rimmed spectacles upon the
children, for whom "Grandma's Room" is always a fav-
ourite resort.
The wood fire needs frequent replenishing, and so at
intervals, Peter, the *' hired man," comes in with an armful.
To save the carpet, there is a little pathway of rag car-
peting, running from door to chimney, for him to walk on;
which we also try to walk on — when we don't forget it.
We are telling Grandma that it is bitter cold outside,
and that our fingers are "most frozen" in our mittens.
The snow is four feet deep, and when I am in the shovelled
path, I can see nothing but the sky. A rooster is crowing
somewhere and Peter, who is tall enough to see, tells me
he is on the top of the snow-drift. Roads are gone and
fences are covered.
Then Grandma tells us of "the hard winter" in the
time of the Revolution, when cannon were dragged across
the Hudson River on the ice. She has plenty of stories,
but we especially like to hear those about "the War."
We are always ready to lay aside even Puss in Boots and
Mother Hubbard with their beautiful pictures, to draw
our stools up around her chair and listen, — for Grandma's
stories are "real" ones.
She tells us that when she was a girl, her name was
Paulina Titus until she grew up and married Josiah Miller,
who soon became a Captain in the Continental Army.
She tells us of the little village of Bedford, where they used
to live, and how people there began to talk of "bad times
coming." How some said King George was crazy, and
others said his ministers were fools. How folks saw great
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My Great-Grandmother 5
displays of "Northern lights" with flashes of blue and red,
in rows, marching toward each other, like armies in battle.
Then, how ships began to come into New York harbour
loaded with soldiers and cannon. How there were ru-
mors of riots and prisoners in New York. How the farm-
ers began to get together their old muskets and swords
and cartridge-boxes and powder-horns, and to hide them
in bams. How they began to cast bullets in their kitchens
out of odd pieces of lead. How they had secret meetings
and drills, and ''committees of safety." And, at last,
how riders came post haste down the Boston Road, with
the news that there had been fighting at Lexington. And
so began the long years of battles and sieges and hardships.
Then she tells us how Bedford awoke to the discovery
that it was in the midst of "war's alarms." It was in the
"Neutral Grotmd," which neither side could hold, — so
it was plimdered and ravaged by both. One morning
the hen-roost would be foimd robbed of all its fowls.
Another, all the hams and beef would be stolen from the
smoke-house. Then the com would disappear from the
crib, and the cow from her stable. Occasionally a bullet
from some unseen gun would crash through a window pane.
These were supposed to be the deeds of two gangs of
marauders, one of which was known as the "Cowboys"
and the other as the "Skinners." The "Cowboys" were
said to be in sjnnpathy with the British, and the "Skin-
ners" with the Americans. But one was about as bad
as the other. More to be feared than either, were the
raids of "Tarleton's Dragoons," and "Delancey's Horse,"
their purpose being, not merely to plimder, but to bum
and kill.
Most thrilling of all is the story of how she sat by the
window one morning and saw two horsemen galloping
down the road. As they passed the house, one shouted,
"The Regulars are coming!" Then they went on over
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6 My Great-Grandmother
the hill. Presently the sound of firing was heard; and
soon after one horse came galloping back with the saddle
empty.
Then the heads of an advancing column appeared.
One glance was enough to perceive that they were the
dreaded dragoons of Colonel Tarleton. They came
slowly, as if anticipating resistance. But there was none.
All the able-bodied men were with the army. Only wo-
men, children, invalids, and a few negro slaves remained
in the village. The troopers halted in the middle of the
broad street. Then, in obedience to some order of the
commander, several of them dismounted and entered
the nearest houses. Seizing the burning brands from the
kitchen fires, they scattered them about the rooms, where
they would set things in a blaze. From one roof after
another, smoke began to pour out, and flames appeared
at the windows. The inmates, hastily gathering their
children and such clothing as they could lay hands on,
fled for their lives, — some to distant friends, some to the
woods.
As the conflagration approached her* home, old Mrs.
Titus (Paulina's mother) went out into the street, and
taking hold of the bridle of the conmianding oflBcer, said
something to him. He bent down, and they conversed
in low tones. Then, raising his head, and pointing toward
Mrs. Titus's home, he gave the order: '*You need not
bum that house." What was said can only be conjec-
tured, but it was presumed that she told him that she was
a loyal subject of King George. Probably she did not
mention that her son-in-law, Captain Miller, was just
then engaged in harassing Tarleton's flanks and rear.
When night fell, aU that was left of Bedford was one
dwelling, and a dozen or two of heaps of smoking
ashes.
"And when was the war done and over. Grandma?"
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My Great-Grandmother 7
ask her impatient little hearers. The old lady pauses in
her knitting, to count up. "Four years later," she says.
Then she describes how the British marched out of New
York, as the Americans marched in, and how different
the two armies looked. The British, with their neat
uniforms, scarlet coats, and gleaming muskets, moving at
regulation step, through silent or scowling crowds. The
Americans, swinging cheerily down the road, with every
kind of shot-gun and rifle, some well clad and some in rags
and tatters, and woefully deficient in shoes. Some had
their feet bound up in bloody rags to protect them from
the frosty ground. But how the people cheered, and
cried, and laughed, and wept, as they saw them come
marching in! Grandma wipes her spectacles now, at the
remembrance of it.
There is also another tale, now become a family tradi-
tion. But like other family traditions, it is open to cavil
or doubt, on account of lacking corroborating evidence.
So far as I recall it, the substance of it was this.
About a year after the burning of Bedford, Captain
Josiah Miller came home one day, and said: "Paulina,
you can't live here any longer. We must go north and
get inside of Putnam's lines." A few days later the whole
household, with such effects as they could carry, started
on horseback toward Pishkill.
The journey was long, and the roads were bad. When
night came on, they had only reached Crompond. They
bethought themselves of a cousin, Andreas Miller, living
there, who sometimes "entertained travellers."
Andreas met them at the door, and greeted them cor-
dially, but said: "I can't give you very good accommoda-
tion, for I have two travellers staying here, already."
When they went in to supper, the two travellers were
there. One looked like a farmer, in a rough grey coat;
the other was a handsome young gentleman in dark clothes,
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8 My Great-Grandmother
who laid aside a long riding cloak. Both were taciturn,
and retired early.
The next morning Andreas said: "The other travellers
were earlier than you. They have started already for
Pine Bridge."
The Millers duly reached their destination "inside of
Putnam's lines." A few days later, she was startled by
her husband's announcement:
"Well, Paulina, that handsome young man you met at
Crompond turns out to be a British spy, and General
Washington is going to hang him!"
Half a century passes. Sons and daughters have been
bom to the Millers, have grown up, married, and scattered
far and wide. Captain Josiah is sleeping in the church-
yard. His widow, Paulina, is now a great-grandmother,
and is living at Auburn, with her son, Elijah. He is a
Judge, and is my grandfather. To us, he looks almost as
old as his mother. We often hear the two talking over
the events of "the War."
"Yes, Elijah," she says, General Washington was a
good man — a great and good man — and he did a great deal
for the country. But I never liked his hanging Major
Andr6."
"But, mother, Andr6 was a spy.'
"No, Elijah, Major Andr6 did not mean to be a spy.
It was that wicked traitor, Arnold, who brought him into
his trouble. If Arnold had been hung, I should say he
richly deserved it."
"But, mother, Washington hadn't got Arnold, and he
had got Andr6. He tried to exchange them, but Sir
Henry Clinton wouldn't do it. They were conspirators
— and such conspirators deserve hanging. They generally
get it too, when they are caught."
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A Carriage Journey 9
"It surely was a conspiracy, and a great crime, Elijah,
—but I have never approved of the hanging of Major
Andr6."
"Well, mother, if he hadn't been caught and hung, I
think you and I wouldn't be here to-day, to talk about
him!"
1835.
A Caiiiage Journey. "A journey! A long journey, in
a carriage with my father and mother. Going miles
away from home, seeing new places and meeting strange
people. Won't it be fun?" So I say to myself and to
my companions.
On a mild May morning, the journey actually begins.
In my new green jacket and cap, I am sitting on the front
seat of the carriage, by the side of William Johnson, the
coloured driver. Before us are two stout grey horses
one of whom William calls "Lion," and the other "the
Doctor." On the back seat are my father and mother.
The baggage and clothing are mysteriously stowed away
beneath the seats and behind. There is an extension
top, to put up when it rains, a fishing-rod to catch moun-
tain trout, a pail to water the horses, and a tin drinking
cup for use at wayside streams.
The grejrs trot off briskly, as if they liked the prospect
of travel. Soon we are climbing and descending hills
on the way to Cajmga Lake. The first two or three days
are over roads we have known about. We stop to visit
cousins, uncles, aunts, and old friends, at Seneca Palls,
Aurora, and Ludlowville. Then we strike off into regions
heretofore unknown. We follow the banks of the Cayuga
Creek down to the valley of the Susquehanna.
Now we are in the Pennsylvania mountains, following
the valleys of the Lycoming and the Susquehanna. The
rugged and narrow roads wind along the mountainsides,
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10 A Carriage Journey
crossing wild gorges, over dangerous looking bridges.
There are rocky cliffs stretching far up on one side, while
deep abysses open on the other. There is apparently
impenetrable forest in each direction, and we seem to be
out of sight of civilization.
We spend the nights in such rustic taverns as the region
affords. In the morning William recounts to us such
tales as he has heard overnight, about wolves and robbers
and rattlesnakes. Of robbers and snakes we see none,
but we hear the wolves howling high up in the mountain
forest. When I inquire as to the possibility of their com-
ing down, I am reassured by the reply that they are prob-
ably chasing the deer, and are not looking for little boys.
We lunch under shady trees, gather wild flowers, and
fish for trout. Rhododendrons, scarlet and crimson, dot
the valley and mountain. My father and mother talk
to each other about the "scenery." The term is a vague
one to me, but I understand it to refer to the mountains,
hills, woods, and waters that they evidently admire. For
my own part, I think I prefer the roads near the villages,
where the children are plajring, and the dogs run out to
bark, and the chickens scurry across the roadway, and
people come along in farm wagons loaded with wood, or
hay or produce. Sometimes a young colt will be accom-
pan3dng the farmer's team; and I am in great hopes that
we can persuade one to change his mind and follow us.
Most of the men we meet nod their heads, and some
say, "Good-morning," as we pass. I ask my father if
they are all acquaintances of his. He say^, no, but that
it is the custom of the country to exchange salutations in
passing, and a very good custom it is. My mother adds
that travellers should be pleasant to those they meet, if
they want others to be pleasant to them, — a maxim that
I think I will treasure up for future use.
Names of places do not mean much to persons of my
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A Carriage Journey ii
age, but a few of those of the largest towns stick in my
memory — ^Athens, Towanda, Williamsport, Milton, and
finally Harrisburg, the State capital.
Next we are traversing a less mountainous and more
thickly settled region. The roads are broader and more
level. There are cultivated farms, large bams, fields of
grain, herds of cattle and sheep. There are towns with
hotels and mills and shops. There are many more coloured
people both in town and country.
Every day we meet more and more of stmimer. Red
cherries and ripe strawberries abound, and melons are
ripening in the sun. So we pass on through southern
Pennsylvania and northern Maryland, pausing a day or
a night at Carlisle, Chambersburg, Hagerstown, Boones-
borough, Shepherdstown, and Harpers Perry.
Even a small boy could appreciate and remember the
magnificent panorama of scenery at Harpers Perry —
the towering hills and meeting valleys, that mark the
junction of the Shenandoah with the Potomac.
As we enter the "Old Dominion" and pursue our way
through the "Valley of Virginia," my father tells us of
the historic events that occurred in the region we are
traversing, of Washington's early campaigns, of Braddock's
defeat, and of the battles and skirmishes of the "Prench
and Indian War." That was a long while ago. It all
belongs to the past. If any prophet should arise to tell us
that even in our own lifetime, we shall again see this peace-
ful region become the scene of war, and of advancing and
retreating armies and bloody battles, we certainly should
not believe him.
"You will not find towns and hotels in the Valley like
those in your own State." So our friends at Harrisburg
had warned us. Certainly travel here is very different.
The roads are muddy and stony, the fields neglected and
overgrown with weeds. Thickets abound on either side
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12 A Carriage Journey
of us. We meet few carriages or wagons, and only occa-
sionally travellers on horseback. Dwellings are seldom
in sight. The planters' houses stand back from the road,
and the negro cabins huddle near them.
Such a day's ride might lead us to expect that our night's
lodging would be in some dilapidated old town or noisy
tavern. But nothing of the sort is before us. We drive
up an avenue of spreading trees. The carriage stops at
the door of a large, low, comfortable looking house, with
wide porches or veranda, covered with vines. Evidently
it is the house of a gentleman. The owner meets us at
the door with hospitable greeting, directs his servants to
take charge of our horses, and ushers us into the parlour,
where his family give us an equally cordial welcome.
They are well dressed, well bred, and not at all inquisitive,
though ready to hear the latest news and talk on the topics
of the day. The table is loaded with the luxuries of the
season. Otir bedrooms are neat and comfortable, and
there is an abundance of black servants, patient, gentle,
and polite. In a word, it is a tjrpical planter's home.
If there is at times a lack of neatness or dispatch, we
should hardly observe it, if we did not sometimes hear
the master or mistress speak of one of our smiling attend-
ants as a "lazy, no account, " or "trifling nigger." When
we take our departure, it seems as if we were parting from
old acquaintances, and the pressing invitations to come
again are evidently sincere. Our host asks no compen-
sation, but will sometimes accept it, in a way that seems
to imply that he does so to please us, as much as himself.
My mother remarks that she has often been told that
she could not travel in Virginia with any pleasure, because
the taverns were so poor. But she finds it just the reverse.
Not only are the planters so hospitable, but even the few
little taverns we meet are neat and quiet, without noise
or bustle or dram-drinking, — and one is not annoyed with
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A Carriage Journey 13
the crowd of lounging topers so frequent at the country
taverns of New York.
My father replies that the Virginians have had the re-
putation for a hundred years of being a frank, hospitable,
vigorous people, justly proud of their State as the " Mother
of Presidents." But, he adds, Virginia is now deteriorat-
ing, materially as well as politically, since she became the
breeder of slaves for the Southern and Western markets.
And the worst is that the people are unconscious of the
cause of the decay, and in a great degree ignorant that
other parts of the country enjoy greater prosperity.
Much of this talk is beyond my comprehension until
recalled by later events. I think I am the one who enjoys
the journey most. When we come to what William calls
an "ole Virginny bridge," I like to see "Lion" and the
''Doctor" plunge into the clear stream, and to watch the
water coming up to the hubs of the wheels. That we are
travelling chiefly in the woods is no hardship, since there
are so many shady trees, wild flowers, birds, colts, and
chipmtmks. Then there is always the prospect of coming
across another "cake and beer" shop by the roadside.
The beer I do not care for, but the cake (usually fresh
gingerbread) is always welcome.
The himible, submissive black race that we meet every-
where seem so loyal to the white, that it is a surprise to
find that apprehensions of harm from them are enter-
tained. William, otir coachman, comes to say that
he is stopped in the road, whenever he goes out after
sundown.
"But you are a free man, WiUiam?"
"I told them so, but they say it don't make any differ-
ence,— that I have got to have a pass."
So it proves. There seems to be a sort of general un-
derstanding, that no coloured man is allowed to be out
after dark, without a written permit from some white man.
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14 A Carriage Journey
presumably his employer, and that anybody may stop him
and demand to see it.
Arriving in the afternoon at a large plantation, I stray
out of the parlour to a sort of gallery or shed, adjoining the
house. There I find a group of twenty or more little
"darkies," plajring and chattering Uke so many moxikeys.
Some are older than I am, some younger. All have only
very scanty clothing and some none at all. They stop
their play, and sturound me, though at a little distance
away. Yet I instinctively perceive that their looks imply
no dislike or fear, but rather pleasure and admiration.
Somewhat abashed by the circle of bright eyes and
gleaming teeth, I turn to stroke the back of the old cat,
reposing on the gallery rail, — saying "Poor Pussy — ^poor
Pussy!" Instantly, there is an outburst of joyous laugh-
ter from the whole group, as if I had made the finest jest
in the world. "Lil' mas'r say 'po' Puss!'" they repeat.
Then one by one they timidly advance to stroke the cat,
in imitation of me, until she jumps down and runs away.
Then very gently and wonderingly, they touch my bright
buttons and lace collar, evidently regarding them as some-
thing very fine. My childish vanity is awakened, by
finding myself the centre of so much deferential and
admiring regard. I hasten to the parlour to tell my mother
of it. Her only comment is "Poor things!" I do not
know why she should pity them. But that I am to find
out later.
. . • • . . .
At an inn, where we stop to rest one morning, my mother
observes a woman, blind and decrepit with age, turning
the ponderous wheel of a machine on the lawn. Going
out to speak with her, she says:
" Is not that very hard work? "
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A Carriage Journey 15
'^Why, yeS| mistress; but I must do something and this
is an I can do now, I am so old.''
" How old are you? "
"I don't know; past sixty they tell me."
"Have you a husband?"
"I don't know, mistress."
"Have you ever had a husband?"
"Yes, I was married."
"Where is he now?"
"I don't know, mistress, he was sold."
"Have you children?"
"I don't know, mistress; I had children, but they were
sold."
"How many?"
"Six."
"Have you never heard from any of them since they
were sold?"
"No, mistress."
"Do you not find it hard to bear up under such afflic*
tions?"
"Why, yes, mistress; but God does what He thinks
best for us."
A still sadder sight is presented at a cotmtry tavern on
the way, where the carriage arrives just at sunset. A
doud of dust is seen, coming slowly down the road, from
which proceeds a confused noise of moaning, weeping, and
shouting. On reaching the gate of the stable yard, it
discloses itself. Ten naked little boys, between six and
twelve years old, tied together, two and two, by their
wrists, are all fastened to a long rope, and followed by a
tall, gaunt, white man, who, with his long lash, whips up
the sad and weary little procession, drives them to a horse
trough to drink, and thence to a shed, where they lie
down on the ground, and sob and moan themselves to
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i6 A Carriage Journey
These, we are told, are children gathered up at different
plantations by the "trader," and are to be driven down to
Richmond, to be sold at auction and taken South.
We push on southwards, winding up and down the
mountain roads in the bright sunshine. But I intuitively
feel, as children do, that somehow we are not so merry
and cheerful a party as when we first set out. William
sits by my side sober and silent. My father and mother
converse in low tones, on the back seat.
When at night they mention their plans, I am rather
sorry to hear that we are not going to Richmond, as
everybody seems to expect, but glad to know that we are
to see the two great natural wonders — ^Weyer's Cave and
the Natural Bridge.
Arriving one morning at the foot of a mountain we
slowly climb up to "the Cave," which it seems is near the
top instead of the bottom of the mountain. There are
guides with tallow candles in tin sconces, to show it to
visitors. William and I go with the others, far enough into
the interior to see some of the glittering and fantastic
stalactites and stalagmites, rising like curved pillars and
lost to sight high up in the darkness.
But a brief view of these satisfies our curiosity, and we
are content to go outside and sit on a bench in the sun-
shine, while awaiting the return of my father and mother
who are exploring the farther recesses of the cavern.
When they come out they tell of the marvels they have
seen. I think I should like to have seen the things that
look like statues and animals, but I am not desirous to
go through "Washington's Chamber" and the thirty
other realms of darkness.
Now we pass through Staunton and Lexington, then
over more rocky hills and mountain roads. Finally we
come in sight of the Natural Bridge. Here we pause, for
some hours, to wonder and admire. The great rocky arch
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First Visit to Washington 17
looks as if it had been excavated by human hands, yet
none have ever labotired at it. We drive across it in our
carriage. We walk under it by the side of the creek which
it spans, and at last we leave it reluctantly.
And now we turn otir faces northward. Lion and the
Doctor trot off merrily, as if they knew they were going
home. We do not return by the way we came, but strike
by an easterly route, stopping to look at Jefferson's home
at Monticello and Washington's at Moimt Vernon.
We end our Virginia pilgrimage at Alexandria at night-
fall, and are to cross the Potomac in the morning to visit
the national capital.
1835-
First Visit to Washington. On board the horse-boat
in our carriage, we are transported across the Potomac
from Virginia to Georgetown. Thence we drive at a
leisurely pace down into Washington.
Seen from this direction the city looks like a jumble
of unfinished and unpaved streets. Here and there a
brick building on a comer lot marks the intersection of
some street and avenue. Between these brick buildings
are long vacant spaces, with occasionally some old-
fashioned village residence, having its shade trees, fences,
and garden.
Pennsylvania Avenue seems to be the only one that
is compactly built up. It looks to me longer and broader
than any that I have ever known. On the hill atone
end stands the magnificent white Capitol; at the other the
President's mansion is surrounded by a grove of trees.
We arrive at Gadsby 's, which is said to be the best hotel,
and one much patronized by members of Congress.
Several gentlemen and some ladies call during the evening,
and talk over the latest news and gossip of the government
and the city.
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1 8 First Visit to Washington
Morning comes, and my mother tells me that Governor
Dickerson, the Secretary of the Navy, is coming to take
us up to see the President. I have heard (as who has not)
of General Jackson, "the Hero of New Orleans," and I
am quite ready to make his acquaintance. But when my
mother brings out the little coat I am to wear, I demur
to the colour of it. "If I wear a red coat, won't General
Jackson take me for a Britisher?" However, this ob-
jection is overruled.
In due time Mr. Secretary Dickerson arrives in a car-
riage, and we are whirled over the macadamized avenue
to the Executive Mansion.
We ascend the stairs and are ushered into the President's
room, where he sits at a writing table with a great pile
of commissions before him, to which he is appending his
signature. He is tall and thin, with iron grey hair brushed
stiffly back from his forehead, and is dressed in a black
suit. At first glance he reminds me of my grandfather
Seward. He rises and greets us with stately courtesy,
invites us to be seated, and takes me on his knee.
The conversation opens with polite inquiries about our
travels and my mother's health. Then it turns to govern-
mental topics, which I do not tmderstand; and I amuse
myself by looking rotmd the room. It is a library, for
there are bookshelves on each side. But its most notice-
able feature is that there are so many portraits and busts of
General Jackson himself all around. They are all differ-
ent, yet each is an unmistakable likeness.
When the talk reverts to our journey again, and our
visit to Monticello, he seems much interested. Presently
I observe that his voice is growing louder and his face
getting redder and the arm round me is quivering with
excitement. Evidently he is getting angry with some-
body, but who? I am relieved to find that it is not with
any of us, but somebody whom he calls "the Senate,"
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•' Colonel John " 19
and speaks of with scorn. It seems there is some ques-
tion about a statue, but the merits of the case are beyond
my comprehension; and when Mr. Dickerson essays a
word in behalf of the offending body, he is stmimarily
silenced by the remark, "That is no argtunent, sir."
But he soon calms down, and the conversation goes on
smoothly again. He is emphatic though not irritable
when he tells my father that "a frank and vigorous poUcy
is the best, in dealing with foreign nations, as with men."
When the interview is closing, he again rises and bids us
"good-bye," with the same stately courtesy as when he
received us.
As we drive away down the avenue, I keep thinking of
the General and his pictures and busts. Only two por-
traits of Presidents are within my remembrance, those
o£ Washington and Jefferson. Mentally comparing these
I decide that all Presidents are tall, grey-haired, and stem
looking and always dressed in black. By the time I have
reached this sage conclusion, we are at the door of Gadsby 's.
And so ends my first visit to the White House.
1835.
" Colonel John." In my visits to my grandfather's
home in Orange Coimty, I found there were some old re-
sidents still living, who remembered my great-grandfather.
Colonel John Seward, of Revolutionary memory. They
had stories or traditions to tell about him.
He lived in New Jersey, and was one of the earliest to
take part in the struggle for independence. In command
of a company, he fought imder Washington, at the battle
of Long Island, shared in the experiences of the subsequent
retreat, and afterwards was in the battle at White Plains.
The next year he was engaged in the battle at Princeton,
and in 1778 in the battle of Monmouth. In 1779, he had
been promoted to the colonelcy of a New Jersey militia
Digiti
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20 " Colonel John *'
regiment, and with a part of it joined in the pursuit of
Brant with his Tories and Indians, after the bloody mas-
sacre at Minisink.
The Tories in his neighbourhood heartily hated and
feared him; and a reward of twenty potmds was offered
for his capture "dead or alive."
His home in Sussex County was an occasional stopping
place for Washington, in his frequent journeys between
the New York and New Jersey encampments. "Sew-
ard's Home" is noted on one of the campaign maps in
living's Life of Washington.
One story illustrative of his energetic character was in
regard to an attempt to decoy him into an ambuscade.
Colonel Seward was sitting on his front porch, toward
evening, when an ill-looking fellow, mounted on a cadav-
erous horse, which he guided with a rope halter, rode up,
and delivered to him what purported to be "a message
from General Washington." Colonel Seward, suspecting
some treacherous design, after questioning the messenger,
said sharply: "General Washington never sent you on
such a horse as that, with a message to me." Turning
round, he took down his rifle, which hung over the door-
way. The spy, seeing himself discovered, started quickly
to escape, whipping up his beast, in order to warn his
confederates. But before he had reached the gateway,
a bullet from the Colonel's rifle brought him down.
i Another tale was that, in one of the Jersey battles, the
colonel captured, with his own hand, a Hessian soldier,
and brought his prisoner home with him. The soldier,
being a sensible German peasant, thought life on a gentle-
man's country place much preferable to service under
the Prince of Hesse-Cassel, who had sold him, and King
George, who had bought him, as "food for powder." So
he proposed to remain with his captor, and proved to be
a faithful and capable servant, for many years. His
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The Panic of 1837 — Shinplasters 21
name was not remembered, but he was popularly known
in the neighbourhood as "Colonel John's Hessian."
1837.
The Panic of 1837— Shinplasters. My first lesson in
finance came in 1837. Like other boys, I had my little
"money-box" as my savings-bank, into which to put an
occasional big copper cent or a battered Spanish sixpence.
Then one summer came "Hard Times," when sixpences
and shillings and even pennies suddenly disappeared
from general use. Some people said that President Van
Buren was to blame for it. Others laid the blame on
Congress and the banks. Of the crash of corporations,
the suspension of payments, and the wreck of merchants,
I was happily ignorant. I only knew that nobody had
any "change" and nobody could tell me why or where-
fore. Or, if they could, the reasons were beyond my
comprehension.
But presently there began to appear in use little square
tickets of paper, like those of the circus or the baker and
milkman. On these was printed, "Good for 5 cents," or
"Good for sixpence," or "Good for i shilling," and they
bore the name of some merchant or tavern-keeper. These
I was told were "shinplasters." They seemed to pass
from hand to hand as easily as any other money. But
when I got one and proposed to put it in my "money-
box," I was told it would not do for that, as it might prove
worthless any day. The only thing to do was to get rid
of it as speedily as possible, — ^which was always easy at the
candy store and toy shop.
Then later I was told that some of the men who issued
them were "calling them in" and burning up whole hand-
f uls of them, which seemed a great waste of good money.
When silver and copper began to appear again, I in-
quired why those paper things were called "shinplasters, "
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22 '• Henry Clay at Auburn "
No one seemed to know until I asked my grandfather,
who laughed and said he supposed it was because people
hated them as much as they did the shinplasters they
used to have when he was a boy. But what were they?
So he went on to tell me.
In the days when he was young, every gentleman wore
knee breeches and long silk stockings on his legs. When
he went out to ride on horseback or to walk through mud
and snow, he put on long riding boots over them. On
coming in chilled and cold, he pulled off the boots and sat
down in front of the open fire, where everybody drew up
their chairs to get warm. Of course the knees were the
parts nearest the blaze. These frequent and sudden
changes from cold to heat and heat to cold made the
shin tender, and "sore shins" were a prevalent winter
complaint. Various salves, ointments, and plasters were
prescribed for their cure.
Said he: ''I neyer was so glad of any change of fashion
as I was when pantaloons came in. The three-cornered
hats and ruffled shirts and buckled shoes were well enough,
but I hated the knee breeches as much as I did the pigtails
tied with eelskin. People said the fashion would change
again, and go back to the short breeches, but I do not
believe it ever will, in this country, whatever the British
and French may do.**
1839.
" Heniy Clay at Auburn.'' "Henry Qay is coming to
Auburn. He is to stop over night at Governor Seward's."
This is the joyful news. The great Kentucky statesman
is making a "tour" through several States this summer,
and at Cayuga Bridge a delegation from Auburn on horse-
back and in carriages meet him and escort him to town.
All the Whig boys and most of the Whig men are on the
qui vive to welcome him.
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'* Henry Clay at Auburn " 23
He arrives in the afternoon, in a barouche and a cloud
of dust. He is received and welcomed at the hotel with
flags, music, cheering, speeches, and much handshaking.
His tall form and commanding air, his winning smile and
resonant voice rouse the public enthusiasm. After the
public reception, he comes over to spend the night at
our house. All the evening the parlor is thronged with
ladies who are captivated by his courtly manner, and
men who eagerly drink in his words of political wisdom.
This is still going on when I am sent up to bed.
Early in the morning I am up and out to play in the
dooryard. In the woodshed I find a young and very
well-dressed coloured man, who is polishing a pair of
boots. I venture to ask him if he is ''Charles." "Yes,
I*se Charles, sure enough. And what may your name be? "
I tell him, and then ask him if he has been long with
Mr. Clay.
"Ever sence I was bom," he says. "And I 'spect I'm
going to stay with him, too. Some of them fool fellers
down to Boston tried to get me to leave him, and come
there to live. But I said to 'em, 'No, sir,' says I, 'I'm
going to stick to Mas'r Clay, and going back with him to
Ole Kaintuck. Henry Clay and Ole Kaintuck are good
enough for me any day. ' "
Then, contemplating the boots, he continues: "My
ole man he wakes me up right early and tells me to get
these boots. Now, I'm going to wake him up right early
and tell him to get up and get his breakfast."
So, with a laugh and a flourish, he departs to the house,
leaving me to ponder over the new phase of the Abolition
question, which his words have presented to my mind.
1839-
The Governor's Mansion. "Kane's Walk," on West-
erlo Street in Albany, was a fine old residence, which
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24 The Governor's Mansion
had been occupied in former years by Governors Clinton,
Tompkins, and Yates. It was now selected as my father's
''Executive Mansion." It stood at some distance back
from the roadway, and was a spacious two-storied brick
edifice, painted in the Colonial style, yellow with white
blinds. The grounds were large, but had been shorn of
some of their former grandeur. A street had been cut
through what was originally the lawn in front of the house,
and the remains of the old avenue extending from South
Pearl Street were visible. But there were still two or
three acres of land and a grove of trees surrounding the
house, with ample space for stable, carriage house, and
outbuildings, and on the south side was the formal garden,
whose beds and walks were now overgrown with grass.
A broad hall extended through the middle of the house
from the front door to the rear one. This was carpeted
and furnished as a sitting-room, and was well adapted
for the reception of deputations, committees, and casual
visitors. On one side of it were two parlors connected
by folding doors and opening into a great dining-room,
fifty feet long, which was also used as a ballroom. On
the other side were three or fotir family rooms, and there
were half a dozen more above.
In the wing nearest to Westerlo Street was the library
or oflfice, which the Governor could use as a study, or for
the reception of confidential visitors, as it had a separate
entrance. A room for his private secretary adjoined it.
Below, a spacious basement contained two kitchens,
several servants' rooms, and cellars. Here were the
coloured servitors, old and young — some of whom had
traditions of the days when they lived with Governor
Clinton or Governor Tompkins. In fact the house
seemed especially well adapted to its uses. There was
plenty of light and air. Heat was supplied by Nott-stoves
and grate fires, to bum Liverpool coal— anthracite was
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The Governor's Mansion 25
still scarce^and there were wood stoves in the family
rooms. Furnaces and heaters for hotisehold use were
not yet in vogue.
Light for evening entertainments was supplied by
sperm candles, in chandeliers, mantel and table can-
delabra, brackets and silver gilt candlesticks — making the
rooms brilliant but entailing much care. As the guests
of the first evening party were taking their leave, the
stately head-waiter, William, presented himself with a
bow, to say: "Governor, shall we begin to blow?"— and
receiving permission commenced extinguishing the candles.
The grounds gave ample space for children to play, and
our neighbours and friends joined us there for ball games,
marbles, and "follow my leader" in the summer, and for
snow forts and sliding downhill in winter. In these
sports we had as companions various dogs and, at one
time, "Jenny," a tame fawn.
It was the fashion for the Governor to entertain gener-
ously. On New Year's Day he was expected to keep
open house for aU comers. Through the winter there
were numerous dinners and evening parties with dancing.
The usual dinner hour in Albany then was two o'clock,
but on state occasions it was put oflE till four or five.
Evening parties began promptly at eight, and were usu-
ally over at or soon after midnight.
The old Albany families, the State officers and members
of the Legislature, especially the Whig ones, met on these
occasions, and distinguished visitors to the city were also
guests. In their long procession during four years came
Washington Irving, Daniel Webster, General Scott, Josiah
Quincy, Ambrose Spencer, John Davis, John J. Crittenden,
Hugh S. Legar^, Francis Granger, Dr. Eliphalet Nott,
Lewis Gaylord Clark, Sir Charles Bagot, Lord Morpeth,
and others of well-known memory.
John C. Spencer, the Secretary of State, and Rufus
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26 The Governor's Mansion
King, the Adjutant-General, were frequent callers to
discuss questions of administration. Three or four pro-
minent New York Whigs, Richard M. Blatchford, James
Bowen, Simeon Draper, and Moses H. Grinnell, with
Thurlow Weed and Lewis Benedict of Albany, were said
by the New York Herald to constitute the "Governor's
Clique," since they were in such frequent consultation
with him.
Delegations from charitable, religious, and scientific
societies occasionally appeared, to urge the Governor to
take official action, or make recommendations to the
Legislature, in their behalf. But to me those of especial
interest were the young pupils of the blind or deaf and
dumb asylums, who, having exhibited their proficiency
to the legislative committees, came to spend the evening
at the Governor's and invoke his help.
The office or library with its separate entrance was
used by the Governor in the morning to dispose of his
correspondence. That finished, he would go up to the
Capitol and spend several hours in the Executive' Cham-
ber in receiving visitors and attending to official work.
When some important state paper or message was to be
prei>ared, he would go to work on it in the "office" with
the help of his private secretary, and often protract the
labour all the evening and far into the night. Samuel
Blatchford was his first private secretary, and afterward
Henry Underwood.
As the office was lighted and warmed even when not
occupied, I found it a quiet and comfortable place to read
or study my lessons. On the bookshelves were Irving,
Shakespeare, and Charles Lamb, and once a month came
Oliver Twist or Nicholas Nickleby or Ainsworth's lurid
Tower of London, while the New Yorker and the Mirror
came every week, so there was no lack of good reading.
In my comer, I listened sometimes to the discussions over
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The Governor's Mansion 2j
the state papers, and though rather difficult as political
problems, I found them more interesting than the Greek
grammar or DaboU's Arithmetic. Thus I acquired a
smattering of knowledge and an opinion as to the merits
of the Virginia Controversy, the Georgia Controversy,
the Canal Debt, the School System, the Registry Law,
the McLeod Case and the "Helderberg War," and other
topics supposed to be beyond my years.
But in 1840 came a whole box full of interesting reading.
The Legislature had made an appropriation for School
District libraries, and Harper & Brothers had prepared
a library of fifty or a hundred duodecimo volumes, ar-
ranged in a neat little pine case. A sample set was sent
up to the Governor for his inspection, history, travels,
and fiction in such attractive form became immediately
popular. Thurlow Weed borrowed the Life of Franklin,
the Adjutant-General the concise story of Napoleon's
campaigns. Gulian C. Verplanck found amusement in a
little volume on Chinese manners and customs, and when
he came to dinner, greeted us with "chin-chin" and
announced that he had come to "eat rice under the light
of our countenance." For my own part I was deep the
first day in Dana's Two Years h^ore the MasL
There was other fascinating literature in the proof
sheets, sent for the Governor's inspection, of the successive
voltmies of the Natural History of New York. The Geo-
logical Survey begun during Governor Marcy's term had
now expanded into the great quarto volumes dealing
with Ornithology, Zo6logy, Ichthyology, and Crustacea,
illustrated by engravings in the best style of art. Those
volumes to this day are invaluable works of reference in
scientific libraries. Occasionally the professors in charge
of the respective portions of the work would call to explain
matters to the Governor, who was to write an introduction
to the whole series.
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28 The Governor's Mansion
The fine arts also found a foothold in the office.
When a sculptor or painter desired to get a Hkeness of
the Governor, he was invited to set up his easel or his clay
in the office, where he could study the Governor's features
and expression. As there was no time for sittings, this
had to be done while he was at work. Here Frankenstein
made his bust and Carlin his portrait.
Most marvellous of all were some curious pictures
brought by Gavit, the engraver, one day to show to the
Governor. They were about six inches square, taken
on metallic plates, resembling engravings, except that
the polished plate reflected objects Uke a looking-glass.
It was necessary to hold them at an angle, in order to
see what the subject was. On one was an accurate though
faint representation of State Street and the Capitol; on
another a view of the Museum on the comer of North
Market Street. But objects were reversed and the signs
read backward. These, we were told, were the results of a
new process devised by a Frenchman named Daguerre, and
were the imprint of Ught itself through a camera. Various
comments were made on the new scientific discovery.
Some saw in it the beginning of a revolution in art, but
others insisted that it was all a fraud; that it was simply
the transfer of engravings to the plates; and that even if it
was the effect of light, the invention would never amount to
anything because it would be transient. They observed,
"You can't see much of anything in them now, except your
own face." These prophets were fortified in their opinion
when, a few weeks later, the pictures grew indistinct and
seemed fading out entirely.
1839-40.
New Year's Day in Albany. Albany still observed
New Year's Day in accordance with old Dutch traditions
and customs. It was the favorite day for gifts and
greetings, public and private hospitality.
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New Year's Day in Albany 29
Every gentleman was expected to call on that day upon
the families with whom he was socially intimate. This
had been easy enough when the town was small, but it was
getting to be rather an arduous task when one's acquaint-
ance had grown larger. Some still made their peregrina-
tions on foot ; others found it desirable to use sleighs and
cutters. Frequently four or five would dub together to
so make their rounds. At every house they would find
the ladies in their parlor, arrayed to receive them, and
usually a table of refreshments awaiting them in the
dining-room. When there were sixty or eighty calls
to be made, they were necessarily short, and often would
be only the exchange of greetings and good wishes, with
little or no time to sit down and converse, or to accept
the hospitable invitation to the table. Every guest was
expected to take a New Year's cake, sweetened and spiced
with caraway seeds and stamped with ornamental figures
or inscriptions. Of course he could not eat them all, and
so he frequently put them into a basket or bag in his
sleigh, to be sent up later in the day to the Orphan Asylum
or other benevolent institution. Those young men who
incautiously accepted too many of the hospitable glasses
of wine or punch were occasionally incapacitated for
continuing their round of calls long before the day was
over.
The Governor was expected on New Year's Day to keep
"open house" for all comers. The carpets were taken
up and the furniture removed from the great hall and
the adjoining rooms. Long tables were set out with
refreshments. Seven barrels of New Year's cakes were
placed so that every caller might take one. The bojrs
of the family had the pleasure of handing them out of the
window to such of the throng as could not get in.
The day began with a serenade at midnight by "Johnny
Cook's band," and the stream of callers continued all day,
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30 A Political Caricature
varied occasionally by the advent of a military organiza*
tion.
Albany was still small enough and decorous enough to
do without any uniformed police force. One constable
with two assistants were deemed sufficient to maintain
order about the mansion.
1839-40.
A Political Caricature. There is still extant a political
caricature of this period, showing both wit and artistic
skill. Its humorous points were so well taken that
friends and foes had to join in the merriment it created.
It was a lithograph purporting to represent a drill of the
new Whig State officers in the vacant square in front of
the Governor's residence. It presented Thurlow Weed
as dnmmier, striding in advance, cigar in mouth, and
vigorously beating a tune, to which the others were trying
to keep step. Behind him came the diminutive Governor,
also smoking, vainly trying to follow the footsteps of the
long-legged drummer and unconsciously imitating the
movements of his hands. The Adjutant-General fol-
lowed, arrayed in most gorgeous and bewildering regi-
mentals. Then came the Secretary of State and Comp-
troller, the former of whom evidently would not, while
the latter could not, keep step. The Treasurer had fallen
out of line, and, with a determined air, sat down on his
strong box to protect it; while the Attorney-General,
sitting under a tree, was diligently conning his first lesson
in Blackstone's Commentaries.
Of this lithograph. Weed wrote to the Governor: "I
send you a picture. The shop at which I found it was
the scene of capital fun. The salesman proposed to ftu--
nish a key. 'This,' said he, 'is the Attorney-General.
This fellow is Weed, who was a drummer in the last war,
and an excellent likeness.' By this time a third person
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A Political Caricature 31
who was standing by very quietly inqtiired whether I
considered it a likeness. The man stared and the others
laughed. I stipulated for a reasonable abatement of
nose, and agreed that the thing was admirable. They
have got that jockey great coat that Lee made you. But
the Adjutant looks magnificently. The figure intended
for Haight is a striking Hkeness of Holley. I found the
'Premier' in good humour and presented h\m a copy.
He talked it all over with Dr. Nott."
Years afterward, the story of the origin of this carica-
ture was told. One evening at the house of ex-Comptrol-
ler Flagg, the popular young artist Freeman was making
a caH. The family circle were laughing over a burlesque
article in the Argus, purporting to describe a "drill of
the State OflBcers." As Freeman sat listemng, he took
out his pencil and commenced sketching on a sheet of
paper the scene described. While thus engaged ex-
Governor Marcy came in, looked over his shoulder, and
recognizing the likenesses, said sharply and indignantly:
"That's Ubellous, sir. Do you know, sir, that the man
who makes such a picture can be prosecuted for libel?"
"Yes,'* said Freeman, looking up — "Yes, and what
shall be done with the scoundrel who wrote the article?"
The general laugh that greeted this reply, showed
Governor Marcy that he was known to be the author.
Freeman's sketch was pronounced so good that next day
it was taken to be lithographed.
1839-40.
The Peaxl Street Academy. It was decided that I
should go to school in Albany during the winter, and the
Pearl Street Academy was the one selected. This was
in the northern portion of the street, near Patroon Street,
and facing the square. Mr. L. Sprague Parsons was the
principal.
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32 The Pearl Street Academy
This required a pretty long walk daily, but my parents
believed the walk would be beneficial to my health, and
I was of an age when any amount of time spent in the
streets seemed preferable to the same time spent in the
confinement of a schoolroom.
The Academy had rather an imposing classic front
with a portico of large Doric columns. The schoolroom
extended across the whole width of the btdlding on the
second floor, and there were smaller rooms for classes
and recitations.
On presenting mjrself as a pupil, I was assigned to a
desk bearing the familiar ink stains and carved initials
of previous occupants. As each boy had a separate desk,
it was certainly more convenient and comfortable than
any I had had in my previous school experiences, but it
had the drawback in boys' eyes that it made whispering
difficult and surreptitious mischief almost impossible.
The boys occupying desks on each side of mine I was
introduced to as Chapman and Williams. The roll-call
of the school was by surnames only, so we fell naturally
into the habit of calling each other by them instead of
nicknames. I made the acquaintance of several boys as
Lansing, Dix, March, Boyd, Lush, Stafford, and Vanderlip,
and only accidentally learned afterwards what their other
names were.
Some of my schoolmates were dull and heavy, but for
the most part they seemed to me to be fine, clever, and
good natured. There was an unwritten law amongst
them that the bigger boys were not to tease the little
fellows. This met my unqualified approval, as I was
one of the little fellows my^lf .
I was set to work on iEsop's fables, though I thought
the Latin version much more curt and involved, and
therefore much less interesting than the English one I
had at home. I also grappled with the Greek alphabet
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The Pearl Street Academy 33
with a view to further struggles with the Testament at
a later day. But the arithmetic, the ''doing sums" on a
slate, where they seemed to have a proclivity for "coming
out wrong," — ^that was the rub! I found my school-
mates shared my own opinions that Addition and Sub-
traction were useful arts, and we all had more or less
acquaintance with the Multiplication table, and even
Long Division had its uses. But "Vulgar Fractions"
and "Reduction" of pounds, shillings, and pence into
Federal money, these we felt sure we should never want
to use when we were "grown up." Probably we would
have had the same opinion in regard to "Extraction of
the Cube Root," but none of us had got so far as that yet.
When my daily lessons had been learned and recited,
either well or badly, I used to look out through a window
which commanded a view of the two-steepled Dutch
Church and the town clock thereon. The hands moved
so slowly that I often wondered whether the clock had
stopped. However, it did get at last to twelve o^clock,
when we had a recess for lunch, and then finally to two
o'clock, when we were dismissed for the day.
Mr. Parsons introduced some variations into the usual
weekly afternoon for "declamation and compositions."
Sometimes we were allowed to take part in dialogues on
the stage. Sometimes the school was resolved into a de-
bating society. Two of the older boys would lead on the
"Affirmative" and "Negative" sides, and they chose
their followers alternately, as in a ball game. A tall,
serious-faced boy, who I was told was Morgan Dix, usually
led on one side, and a smiling young giant named McElroy
led on the other. The little fellows were not allowed to
participate in the debate, but we had our opportunity
at the end, when the vote was taken and we could shout
"Aye" and "No" with the loudest. Occasionally the
school became the scene of a spelling contest, the words
r^
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34 Early Railroad Experiences
being given out, not from the spelling book, but from Web-
ster's Dictionary. As there were seventy or eighty of us,
each one's turn came but seldom, and each hoped he would
get an easy one.
The old Academy lasted during two winters of my stay
in Albany, and then it came down to give place to more
modem structures.
1840.
Early Railroad Experiences. On arriving at Schenec-
tady from the west, after a tedious stage-coach journey,
the traveller would find there the cars of the "Mohawk
and Hudson Railroad," the first link in the great chain
that was ultimately to stretch across the State.
The cars were of the English pattern, short and divided
into three compartments, each having two transverse
seats for passengers. A narrow "running board" ex-
tended along the outside on which the conductor made
his rounds to gather fares through the windows. The
baggage was piled on top of the car.
One or two horses then drew the car for half a mile or
more to the foot of a hill. Here was an inclined plane,
up which the car was drawn by a heavy cable running
over wheels, and worked by a stationary engine at the
summit. Reaching the plateau, thickly covered with
pine woods, the cars were next attached to one of two
locomotives, named respectively the "John Bull" and
"Brother Jonathan." Fifteen miles more of the journey
were thus accomplished. Then the level ground ended,
and the descent into the valley of the Hudson began,
horses again taking the place of the locomotive. So the
car reached State Street in Albany, and there entered
the "car house" near the Capitol.
This was well enough for passengers going to places
"on the hill," but not for passengers and freight going
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Early Railroad Experiences 35
down to the lower town and the steamboat landing. So
the railway company soon after established another in-
clined plane runm'ng down by way of Lydius Street,
The journey of sixteen miles was thus made more
smoothly but not much more quickly than by the Turn-
pike, on account of the changes and delays. In fact, at
Schenectady stages were in waiting by the side of the
train, whose drivers shouted, "Take you to Albany
quicker than the cars, for fifty cents. Right to the door
of your hotel." Many chose that alternative.
The railway next constructed was that from Utica to
Schenectady, where the track could follow an almost level
grade along the banks of the Mohawk. This greatly
shortened the journey.
Auburn and Ssrracuse, which were then two villages,
each having about five thousand inhabitants, next deter-
mined that they would have railway connection. After
some little delay in obtaining the charter, the funds, and
the right of way, the road was completed. Desirous of
getting it into operation as speedily as possible, the com-
pany laid down wooden rails to serve till the iron ones
should arrive.
My father's family were invited to one of the early
trial trips. Mr. Sherwood, the stage proprietor, and his
family occupied the adjoining compartment in the one
passenger car. Another was improvised by putting the
body of one of Sherwood's stages on a platform car. Thus
equipped, and drawn by horses, we made the journey to
Syracuse in what seemed the marvellously short time of
two hours and a half.
A few months later more cars were obtained, and two
locomotives, the "Auburn" and the "Syracuse," which
were objects of admiration and curiosity aU along the
line. The locomotive whistle was a novelty, and the
boys were of the opinion that the engineer must have
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36 Early Theatrical Memories
very strong lungs to be able to blow it so loudly. To ride
with him was a delightfully dangerous privilege granted
to only a favoured few.
Some travellers still preferred to go by the packet
boats of the Erie Canal. The journey required no changes
and was smooth and safe, except for the risk of having
one's head knocked by a "low bridge." The speed was
about the same as that of the stage-coach, the three horses
being kept on a brisk trot — though the locks caused some
delay.
The long and narrow shape of the canal boat made it
necessary to serve the meals on very narrow tables. The
sleeping arrangements were unique. At nine o'clock in
the evening the captain would take his stand at the door
of the cabin with a list of the passengers in his hand. He
would then call out: "Mr. Jones." Thereupon Mr.
Jones would meekly rise and proceed to the cabin and go
to bed. Next "Mr. Brown" would be called and comply
in like manner. The berths were like shelves with no
adequate passageway between, and the passengers would
have to rise in the morning in the same order as they re-
tired. The last one to go down would be the first to get
up — so as to make room for the others to get out,
1840-41.
Early Theatrical Memories. Everybody, I suppose,
remembers his first visits to the theatre. Mine began
at Buffalo, where, with my parents, I witnessed Tom
Cringes Log, a melodrama based upon a novel of that
day. The gay audience and brilliant lights, the enliven-
ing music, the rapidly moving scenes of the story, and the
reality of the dialogue on the stage were all-absorbing, and
the illusion was so perfect that I needed to be reassured,
between the acts, that the house which was struck by
lightning did not really bmn down, and that the wrecked
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Early Theatrical Memories 37
sailors did not really drown, nor the pirates actually
get killed, though I fully believed they ought to be.
Afterwards, at Auburn, I occasionally saw the moral
or temperance drama at the Town Hall, and once a
company of strolling players gave Macbeth and Julius
Ccssar. They had not enough "supers" for the required
armies, so the manager came over to the Academy play-
ground, to ask if some of the taller boys would not come,
and march in battle array armed with shields and hel-
mets? Of course they would, and were delighted to do
so. Those of us who were too small for Thespian honours
envied Roscoe Conkling and burly Spencer and Pasco,
whose stattire gave them not only free entrance, but
actual participation in the performance.
But it was at Albany that I now saw the drama in its
glory. All the boys and girls in town eagerly watched
the great red double tent, going up at the comer of Dallius
and Westerlo streets. It was a circus enterprise, on a
large scale, exciting an interest like that of Bamum in
later years. It was so successful that in another year,
Nichols, the proprietor, replaced it by a brick amphi-
theatre on the same ground. This contained both stage
and ring. Usually equestrian and acrobatic feats in the
ring were followed by a farce or melodrama on the stage.
Here Spartacus thundered through the voice of Forrest,
and Richelieu called down the appalling "Cur-r-rse of
Rome."
Occasionally there would be a spectacle in which stage
and ring were used together. Then the wild horse would
not only climb the canvas rocks and drink from the painted
stream on the stage, but presently would be careering
round the sawdust circle with Mazeppa lashed on his back.
When St. George and the Dragon was first performed
the beautiful maiden was left tied to the stake on the
stage, while the two combatants came down into the ring
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38 Applicants for Pardons
to have it out, under the eyes of the audience. Unfor-
tunately the first charge of the Saint was so fierce that it
upset the Dragon, who lay helpless and kicking. Evi-
dently the boy who performed his insides could not get
him up, and the "terrific combat" had not yet come off.
Saint George was equal to the emergency.. Dismounting
he ran to the prostrate monster, kindly lifted and set
him on his legs again, and then remounting his patient
steed, fought the combat out to a finish, amid the applause
of an admiring audience.
One of the ''properties" at the amphitheatre was a
tame fawn, which Mr. Nichols afterward presented to the
Governor. She became a favourite playmate for the
boys who named her ''Jenny." She was alwajrs ready
for a romp or a race with us, in the grounds. After a
couple of years, however, she grew so tall and strong that
gates and fences could no longer keep her in, when she
chose to make one of her flying leaps.
One day when the table was set in the dining-room for a
state dinner, Jenny saw through the open window a fine
bunch of flowers on the centrepiece. With a long leap
she seized the flowers, but at the same time brought down
the tablecloth, glass, and dishes in a grand crash, and then
stood amid the d6bris, placidly wondering at the com-
motion she had caused. So she had to retire from the
Executive Mansion to private life in the North Woods.
Applicants for Pardons. There is a "black care" that
rides on the shoulders of every governor — that follows
him by day, haunts him by night, and will not be shaken
off. This is the "pardoning power."
There are always a thousand poor wretches in prison,
or on their way there, and hardly one of them but has a
wife or child or friend to implore executive clemency.
Public opinion, which is an avenging Nemesis as long
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Applicants for Pardons 39
as the culprit is at large, softens as soon as he is behind
bolts and bars; and not unfrequently the turnkey who
locks him in, the public prosecutor who arraigned him,
the jurors who convicted, and even the judge who sen-
tenced him, join in the appeal for his release.
Yet if the governor weakly yields to the pressure, the
same instinct of self-preservation in the commimity which
sent the criminal to jail is aroused with fresh indignation
at seeing him at liberty in the streets.
But the suitors for mercy will take no denial. How
can they? Then pleading letters come in every mail;
their piteous faces are ever round the door of the executive
chamber. They watch the governor's path; they wait in
his hall; they sit on his doorstep, and try to gain the
sjmapathy of his family. If he be of a kindly compassion-
ate nature, disposed to listen to their "oft-told tale "of
misery, he will have time neither to eat nor sleep, nor
write messages, nor make appointments. The applicants
and their applications are often unreasonable, grotesque,
and absurd, yet always sad and always painful.
One of my father's early experiences of this sort was
shortly after his inauguration. A well-dressed, ladylike
woman, evidently in deep grief, was imploring the pardon
of her brute of a husband, sent to prison for beating her.
She stayed during the whole evening, exhausting her powers
of argument and entreaty, and deaf to any answer but a
favorable one. Growing excited and frantic over the
ill-success of her plea, she threw herself on her knees,
and with sobs and hysterics, refused to get up until her
prayer should be granted. The Governor, while vainly
endeavouring to calm her, was startled at seeing in the
open doorway the sudden apparition of York Van Allen,
his coloured waiter, arrayed in overcoat and cap, with a
lantern in his hand.
"What do you want, York?"
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40 Applicants for Pardons
"I beg pard'n, sir," replied York, with the dignified
courtesy which distinguishes his race, "but I thought de
time had arrived when you wanted me/'
"Want you? What for?"
"Governor Clinton used to allers tell me I was to take
'em away, when dey began to go on like dat," pointing
to the kneeling female, "and Governor Tompkins too,
sir, allers."
Equally to the surprise and relief of the Governor, the
lady seemed, like York, to take it as a matter of course.
Rising and adjusting her shawl and bonnet at the mirror,
she curtsied adieu, and went off to the hotel, under the
escort of York and his lantern.
Yet there are many cases when the exercise of the
pardoning power is not only judicious but is followed by
beneficent results. Such a one was that of Catharine .
Her pardon was accompanied by a kindly letter of advice
from the Governor, to return to her country home, and,
by persevering assiduity in domestic duties, try to regain
the respect and confidence of her friends and neighbours.
A few years later one of the benevolent friends who had
aided her happened to be journeying through a remote
rural region, when he unexpectedly met Catharine there
— now grown an industrious, respectable woman, regarded
with esteem by her neighbours. She took from her bosom
the letter of the Governor, and said it had saved her from
ruin, and that she had carried it about with her ever since
it brought her the welcome news of her release.
Both those who solicit pardons and those who grant them
are apt to look at the case of the individual sufferer with-
out bestowing much thought upon the interests of the
community at large. Yet this is really of more extended
consequence.
A forger had been convicted in Dutchess County on
evidence which left no doubt of the crime. But he was
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Applicants for Pardons 41
a man of property, and his high standing in the community
and the church had brought him the help of learned counsel
and sympathizing neighbours, to whom the verdict of
the jury was a surprise. So strong was the pressure of
public opinion in his behalf, that the jury recommended
him to the clemency of the Executive, and the court sus-
pended sentence in order that the application might be
made.
The Governor denied it, saying, as in other cases, that
he could not yield under the impulse of feeling, or from
respect to popular sympathy; and that to set aside the
judgment of the courts where there was no injustice or
doubt of guilt, would be to destroy public confidence in
the certainty of punishment and that salutary respect for
courts of justice which secures the peace and good order
of society.
There was one case that had a ludicrous side in its
unexpected ending. A Frenchman and his wife who had
just emigrated to this country were accused of theft,
locked up, tried, convicted of grand larceny, and sent,
the woman to the prison for female convicts at Sing Sing,
and the man to the prison at Auburn.
On review of the evidence, it turned out that the offence,
on the woman's part at least, had some palliating cir-
cumstances, and that she had intended nothing worse
than to make reprisals on neighbours who had plundered
her. Ignorance of the language had prevented the case
from being fully and fairly presented in court.
The Governor made out a pardon for the woman, and
taking it with him on one of his visits to Sing Sing, handed
it to the warden, who forthwith released her, handed her
the pardon, and she went on her way rejoicing.
It happened that her name and her husband's (Frangoise
and Frangois) differed only in a letter, and the engrossing
derk by mistake had written his for hers. When outside of
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42 The ** Moras multicaulis " Fever
the prison, she looked at the document which had been put
in her hands, and found there her husband's name. Not
doubting that he had been pardoned also, she hastened up
to Auburn, and presented it to the warden of the prison
there. It was in every respect correct, and so Francois
was released also — ^and the pair started for Canada.
The mistake was discovered when the Governor next
visited Auburn; but the worthy French couple never
came back to have it rectified.
1840.
The '^ Moras multicaulis'' Fever. A new form of
agricultural enterprise suddenly arose in the spring of this
year. It had been demonstrated by experiment that the
Mams tnulticaulis would thrive in New York and other
northern States, and so it was assumed that silkworms
could easily and profitably be raised.
Little capital was required. Families could easily in-
crease their income. The owner of an acre of mulberry
trees could at once embark in the enterprise, and his
children could care for the worms in the intervals of their
school hoiu«. A newspaper spread over an old table and
plentifully supplied with mulberry leaves was all that was
necessary. The silkworms would not wander away from
the table. Nothing more would be needed, except to
gather the cocoons when the worms began to spin, as
they would do in a very few weeks.
I found that my schoolmates, as soon as the teacher
dismissed us, hastened home, as I did, to climb fences and
scale mulberry trees, in order to get the leaves to feed
their new pets.
As this disposition spread, it of course enhanced the
price both of mulberry trees and of silkworms' eggs, so
that those who had begun early were now reaping hand-
some profits.
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The ** Moras multicaulis*' Fever 43
In New Jersey and Long Island, we were told, raw silk
had been raised, exported to Europe, and received there
with commendation. In Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Mary-
land farmers now began to engage largely in the business.
At Auburn the ctiltivation received special attention.
There had long been a jealousy of prison labour among
mechanics and manufacturers, who found or fancied they
would find themselves in competition with it.
It was desirable to find some occupation for convicts,
which would not compete with the trades, and yet would
meet the prison expenses. It was now claimed that the
manufacture of silk was such a one. When thus turned
into a silk manufactory, the prison, instead of injuring
the mechanics, would be benefiting them, and all the
farmers of the surrounding country, by furnishing a
steady market for all the cocoons they could raise.
The experiment was tried. Mulberry trees were set
out in the prison grounds. A silk shop was established
with reels and "throwing-mills," spindles, and dyeing
kettles. In and around Auburn hundreds of acres were
planted with mulberry trees. Cocooneries were built or
extemporized out of farm buildings ,and rooms of dwelling
houses.
The Legislature passed laws encouraging the cultiva-
tion, by bounties on cocoons. Agricultural societies
offered premiums. Newspapers and periodicals teemed
with advice about hatching and feeding silkworms, and
calculations showing how easily one hundred bushels of
cocoons per annum could be produced by every owner of
an acre.
As a further illustration of the ease with which silk
might be made in Central New York, a lady appeared in
Ontario County, dressed in silk which had passed in all
its changes from the leaf to the loom through her own
hands.
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44 The Harrison Campaign of 1840
An advertisement appeared in which the agents of the
Aubum Prison offered cash prices for cocoons and raw
silk. Both began to pour into the market thus established
and for four or five years the manufacture went on.
But there were other things which had not entered into
the calculations. Adult male convicts, however cheaply
supported, or easily supervised, lacked the delicate touch
of women and children, or the skilled experience of silk
workers, which come by lifelong training. Worms and
trees, though both may be raised with success in a northern
climate, yet cannot be so cheaply raised as in a milder
region.
So prices declined, and the enthusiasm for the new in-
dustry gradually waned. The "fever" passed, and in a
few years more was entirely forgotten.
1840.
The Harrison Campaign of 1840. My boyish enthu-
siasm was all for Henry Clay, ''Harry of the West," as
the Whig Presidential candidate, and my disappointment
at his failure to receive the nomination at Harrisburg was
by no means assuaged by the present, soon after, of a
handsome flag inscribed with the names in gilt letters of
'' Tippecanoe & Tyler Too." .
But the campaign was a long and memorable one.
Popular interest in it seemed to be increasing up to the
day of election. The Whig leaders aided it with all the
appliances that political skill or experience could suggest,
and the Democrats found their arguments and even their
ridicule of the Whig candidate turned to his advantage.
Someone alluding to his pioneer western life had advised
that Harrison be given a log cabin and plenty of "hard
cider" to drink — implying that that condition of life was
more fitting for him than the White House.
It was an unfortunate sneer for the Democrats, for it
Digiti
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The Harrison Campaign of 1840 45
supplied the spark that only was needed to kindle popular
sympathy into a blaze. The Whigs fanned the flame.
He became "the Log Cabin" candidate. The log cabin
became the emblem of his pioneer life, of his military
services, of his kindred feeling for the farmers, of his un-
requited toil for his country. A log cabin sprang up in
nearly every city — a club house and rallying place for
Whigs. Log-cabin "raisings" and house-warmings were
held, with music and political speeches. Log-cabin
medals were struck, and passed from hand to hand.
Miniature log cabins were carried in processions and dis-
played on platforms. Log-cabin pictures were hung in
the bar-rooms and parlours. Log-cabin magazines and
song-books found ready sale. Ladies made log-cabin
fancy work for fairs, and children had little log cabins of
wood, tin, and confectionery.
The Whig State Committee got up a campaign news-
paper, published simultaneously in New York and Al-
bany, and named it the Log Cabin, calling Horace Greeley
to its editorial chair. For him it was the stepping-stone
to fame and fortune, for the energy and skill displayed
in it, and its wide circulation, opened a way for its successor
the Tribune.
All the appurtenances of the log cabin came into favour;
there was the barrel of hard cider standing by the door,
there was the coonskin nailed by its side, there was the
latch string to admit the welcome guest, and it was remem-
bered that Harrison told his old soldiers that they would
never find his door shut or "the latchstring pulled in."
But the log cabin was not the only ad captandum argu-
ment used by the Whigs. Taking a lesson from their
own crushing defeats by the "Hero of New Orleans,"
they hoisted flags, fired salutes, and declaimed panegyrics
on the "Hero of the Thames," the "Defender of Port
Meigs," and the "Victor of Tippecanoe."
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46 The Harrison Campaign of 1840
"Tippecanoe," besides being the leaxiing exploit of the
military chieftain, was a good sonorous name for the
orators to pronounce, and clubs to sing in swelling chorus.
For by this time the popular enthusiasm had burst out
in song. Campaign songsters, glee-clubs, and Harrison
minstrels were now in vogue. Familiar old melodies
were adapted to new words. But the "song of songs"
was one which, having little music in it, everybody could
sing, and nearly everybody did.
This was:
What has caused this great commotion, motion, motion,
motion
Our country through?
It is the ball a-rolling on,
CHORUS
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too,
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too,
And with them we'll beat little Van,
Van, Van — Van is a used up man.
And with them we'll beat little Van.
This chant was hummed in parlours and kitchens — sung
by the boys in the streets — marched to in processions,
and was a grand finale at all Whig meetings, the whole
audience shouting it through their thousand throats with
as much fervour as Frenchmen sing the Marseillaise or
Englishmen chant God Save the King.
Most presidential candidates have a nickname, and
General Harrison, long before the simamer was over, was
universally known as "Old Tip." There were Tippecanoe
banners, Tippecanoe clubs, Tippecanoe meetings. Steam-
boats were named after him, children christened for him.
Dogs were called "Tip," and spans of horses were "Tip
and Ty/'
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The Harrison Campaign of 1840 47
Political meetings took on a new character. They were
no longer forced assemblages in club rooms, but spon-
taneous outdoor crowds overflowing with enthusiasm.
Whole counties were called to assemble in "mass-meeting "
— ^whole States were invited to meet in mass convention.
Great meetings were held in cities, and obscure country
towns became the gathering points for thousands. Held
by daylight the mass-meeting made a holiday for the
whole surrounding region. Farmers flocked in by all the
country roads bringing their wives and children. Delega-
tions came by rail and steamboat from distant points.
Nothing attracts a crowd so rapidly as the knowledge that
there is a crowd already — ^and when it was known that
there was to be not only a crowd, but music and festivity,
flags, decorations and processions, eloquence of famous
men and keen political humour, few could resist the infec-
tion. Webster and Clay, Crittenden and Stanley, Cor-
win, Leigh, Legar6, Rives, Ogden Hofi!man, Preston, and
a hundred of lesser note were "on the sttmip." General
Harrison himself made a speech at the Dayton Conven-
tion. "Are you in favour of paper money?" asked the
multitude. "I am," was the reply, and then the shouts
of applause were deafening.
Of course this was just the kind of campaign to strike
the imagination of the small boy. I do not know how
many meetings I attended, how many songs I stmg, or
how many log cabins I took part in erecting.
It seemed to be the natural culmination of such a cam-
paign when I was permitted to sit among the pages at the
meeting of the Electoral College at Albany, and saw that
august body cast their vote, imder the lead of two Revo-
lutionary veterans. Colonel James C. Btut of Orange
County and Peter B. Porter of Niagara.
The dramatic proceedings came to a sudden and tragic
ending in April. I recall the popular grief when the news
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48 The Helderberg War
came that the newly elected President lay dead in the
White House. Funeral and memorial services were held
at Albany and other cities, and I especially remember the
torchlight procession with which they closed, when the
coffin of ''Old Tip" was borne in red glare with solemn
music, and followed by the riderless horse of the old hero.
The Helderberg War. The ancient Manor of Rensse-
laerwyck, which dated back to the time of the earlier Dutch
settlers, had been handed down from father to son in the
Van Rensselaer family through a long line of "Patroons."
While modem customs and innovations had gradually
changed the aspect of the whole country, society, and
government, the Patroon and his tenants were still con-
tinuing the old usages of feudal tenure, of perpetual
leases, of rent payable in fowls and bushels of wheat, in
personal service and in "quarter sales."
The Manor comprised a broad region of Albany and
Rensselaer counties "extending on either side of the Hud-
son River backward into the woods twenty-four English
miles." It is said the original grant meant to give the
Patroon the choice of a manor on one or the other side of
the river, but that the grantees took advantage of the
ambiguity of language of the grant and construed the
words "either side" to mean both sides of the river.
It had now become well settled, cultivated, and im-
proved. The tenants had gradually come to think that
their long occupancy of the lands and their improvements
had at least vested a part of the ownership in themselves,
and that the rents paid during so long a series of years
more than compensated for the wild land which the first
Van Rensselaers had sold to the original settlers.
This theory had been much strengthened by the neglect
of the "old Patroon," General Van Rensselaer, to make
collections of his rents. When he died in the early part
Digiti
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The Helderberg War 49
of this year, the Manor had been divided between his
sons, Stephen taking the part in Albany County and Wil-
liam that in Rensselaer County. A third brother, Court-
landt, took the real estate in New York City.
It was in Albany County that the troubles began.
The young Patroon's lawyers advised him he might en-
force his legal right to collect rents. When this claim
was made in behalf of the heir, the tenants very generally
resolved to resist it as illegal and unjust. Legal measures
were taken to compel pajrment. But when the sheriff
went out upon the farms, he was met by gatherings of
angry men with threats and execrations. Alarms were
given through the neighbourhood, homs sounded, tar
barrels fired, and the obnoxious writs were seized and
thrown into the flames. Shouts of "Down with the
Rent" were heard from the gathering crowd of rural
rioters who, with brandished sticks and arms, and with
threats of personal violence, compelled the official to
turn his horses' heads towards home.
Such was the news received in Albany. Thereupon
the Sheriff resolved to resort to a posse comitatus. He
summoned six or seven hundred citizens to appear at his
office in Albany on Monday morning at ten o'clock.
Great was the excitement, and much the merriment
in the crowd that gathered round his office, and high was
the delight of the small boys who flocked around to watch
the marching of this novel force. The merriment in-
creased when Sheriff Archer came out on the sidewalk
and commenced to call the roll. It showed that he was
no respecter of persons, for among the names were those
of ex-Governor Marcy, Recorder McKoun, John Van
Buren, the presidents and cashiers of the banks, the Pa-
troon's lawyers, and the Patroon himself.
The posse proceeded on horseback, on foot, and in
carriages, with the sheriff in command, twelve miles from
Digiti
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50 The Helderberg War
the town, till he reached a small hamlet at the foot of the
Helderberg. But here the posse stmimoned according
to law met another posse, not summoned at all, and
dej&ant of any law whatever. The unlawful gathering
outnumbered the lawful one, for it mustered fifteen or
eighteen hundred men, and furthermore it had clubs while
the sheriff's posse had none. The sheriff became satisfied
that his force was "entirely inadequate to overcome the
resistance," an opinion in which his whole force unani-
mously conciured. So they endeavoured to retreat to
Albany in as good order as they came out of it. A second
posse comprising a hundred or more armed men did not
have a greater success. A rainstorm rendered the roads
almost impassable, and this time the rioters resorted to
the expedient of barricading all the places where the
sheriff and his posse could find food or shelter from the
storm.
Only one alternative remained to vindicate the majesty
of the offended law. That was to apply to the Governor
for a military force, to enable the sheriff to execute his
process. It was evident that the time had come for
executive action. The messenger from the Sheriff arrived
late at night, and Mr. Blatchford, the private secretary,
was sent to summon the Secretary of State, Comptroller,
and Adjutant-General, to a midnight council of war in
my father's oflSce.
The council remained in session all night, and the dawn
of day found them there round the table strewed with
papers, and with candles still burning.
Hitherto I had only seen my father's military staff in
their holiday attire on parade occasions; now I found
them suddenly transformed into an active and resolute
group of young men quite ready to assume soldierly duties.
Adjutant-General Rufus King proved his West Point
education of value, in enabling him to accomplish that
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The Helderberg War 51
greatest proof of military skill, of massing an effective
body of troops at the shortest possible notice. Colonels
Amory, Bowen, and Benedict were sent "to the front,"
with orders to attend to the movement of troops; the
commissariat was supplied by wagon loads of bread and
meat, blankets and tents. Major William Bloodgood
was assigned to the command of a battalion, consisting
of the Burgesses Corps, the Van Rensselaer Guards, the
Union Guards, the Republican Artillery of Albany, be-
sides three Troy companies, the Citizens' Corps, the
Independent Artillery, and the City Guards. The various
bodies of troops were ordered to move at once and rein-
forcements from the Mohawk Valley were held in readiness
to arrive if needed.
In the morning a proclamation was issued by the Gover-
nor enjoining upon the people of the country "to aid
and assist the oflScers of justice in performing their duty,''
and appealing to all who had taken part in the unlawful
proceedings to reflect upon their consequences and re-
member that organized insurrection, in our republic, is
absiu"d and unnecessary. The lawful means to obtain
relief from any injuries or grievances are to appeal to the
courts and the Legislature, which are open to all the citi-
zens of a self-governing State. He further added: "I
assure them that they shall receive every facility which
the executive department can afford in bringing their
complaints before the Legislature. I enjoin upon them
to conduct and demean themselves as orderly, peaceable,
and well disposed citizens, justly estimating the invalu-
able privileges they enjoy, and knowing that the only
security for the preservation of their rights consists in
the complete ascendancy of the laws."
As I heard this proclamation copied and read by the
secretary, and was permitted to affix the privy seal to it,
it seemed to me so simple and plain that any American
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52 The Helderberg War
schoolboy ought to have known as much as that. I won-
dered at the ignorance of the country people. It was my
first experience — often repeated since — of discovering
that even American citizens do not always remember the
ftmdamental principles of their own government.
The troops moved with a celerity worthy of veterans.
It was on Tuesday morning that their orders were issued,
and before noon the Troy companies passed through
Albany on their way "to the front/' and were furnished
with two field pieces from the arsenal. The proclamation
was published in all the newspapers and copies were
struck off in handbill form, which the troops scattered
broadcast in the insurrectionary regions.
While the Governor was sitting at breakfast on Thurs-
day morning a bearer of military dispatches dashed up
to his door, and handed him a packet from Major Blood-
good. It was dated at the headquarters of the expedi-
tionary force at Rensselaerville. It stated that he had
met a large assemblage of people at Reidsville. Halting
on the hill and forming his force in solid column, he had
marched into the midst of them, and told the Sheriff to
do his duty. The Sheriff had done so, served his process,
and had taken one prisoner, who had been sent to the
rear, greatly to his relief, as he had begged for quarter,
under the impression that he was to be instantly shot.
The Major stated that the appearance of the troops and
the knowledge of reinforcements hurrying forward had
made such an impression upon the inhabitants that there
was no longer danger to his command, that the troops
would continue with the Sheriff and enable him to execute
his process as they passed through the country.
Meanwhile there came to the Executive Mansion a
letter, from Azor Taber and Henry G. Wheaton, saying
that leading citizens of the towns where the disturbance
existed had come in, to ask those gentlemen to make
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An Artistic Contest 53
representations in their behalf to the Governor. They
were desirous to avail themselves of the occasion pre-
sented by his proclamation to end the diflSculties. They
requested Messrs. Taber and Wheaton to assure the
Governor that all resistance to the Sheriff should cease,
and that the assemblage of people should quietly disperse.
Dispatches continued to come during Thursday and
Friday and Saturday of similar tenor.
Simday morning there was a heavy snowstorm. In
the midst of it, and while the bells were ringing for church,
the soimd of drums was heard approaching on the hill
beyond the Capitol. It was the returning force who,
wrapped in their blankets, had marched twelve miles
since daybreak, plodding through the drifting snow and
bringing their three prisoners in a wagon.
The Governor sprang into his sleigh, taking me with
him, and drove up State Street. He met, received, and
welcomed the troops, under the shelter of the Schenectady
Railway Depot, and thanked them for their good conduct
and patriotism. They cheered him in return, and marched
to their respective armories. So ended the first campaign
of the "Helderbarrack."
1843-
An Artistic Contest. The Governor's Room in the
City Hall of New York is so called, because, in accordance
with time-honoured custom, it has been used as an oflficial
reception room for governors of the State when they visit
the city, and has been the repository of portraits of former
governors from George Clinton down.
The Common Council, in 1843, desired to add to this
collection a full-length portrait of my father. But no
artist had been designated, there being divided opinions
as to their respective merits.
So, after visiting many different studios, a committee
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54 An Artistic Contest
consisting of Messrs. Mintum, Draper, Ruggles, Grinnell,
Blatchford, and others concluded to gratify all the con-
flicting preferences by inviting five artists — Inman,
Harding, Huntington, Page, and Gray — each to paint a
portrait of the ex-Governor. The Common Council
might select whichever it chose, and his personal Mends
would themselves take the others.
In accordance with this arrangement, Chester Harding
was to begin; he arrived at Auburn early in March and
was a guest at my father's house, where he was also a
genial and hearty companion.
His studio on Main Street became a favourite re-
sort for the little circle at Auburn who were interested
in art. His pictures and his conversation won the esteem
of the villagers, and parties were made in his honour.
Harding's massive figure seemed as if fitted for athletic
exercise. It would have befitted a commanding general;
he was six feet three inches high, with a large face, hands
too large for ordinary gloves, eyes too broadly separated
for ordinary spectacles. He was a fine lookmg man, of
evident vigour and energy, but the last person a casual
observer would suspect of delicate handling of palette and
pencil. Harding completed his work in July, and took
his leave.
A few days later Henry Inman arrived, to enter upon
his work. He was high in public esteem, occup3ring the
first rank among American artists. He showed in every
look and action the fruits of a life of artistic culture, ease,
and taste. Graceful and engaging in his manners, fluent
and imaginative in his conversation, he had almost a
boyish fondness for fun, and a keen eye for the beauties
of nature.
He had not been an hour in the house before it seemed as
if he were an old acquaintance. He told me that he would
go out with me into the morello cherry trees, whose
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An Artistic Contest 55
fruit was just hanging red and ripe, and promised my
brother that he would go with him to the Owasco Lake
for boating and perch fishing, both of which promises he
fulfilled before the week was out.
"Music, Mr. Seward/' said he, as he was sketching
the outlines of my father's face in crayon, "music I think
must be the vernacular in Heaven. They may have some
other language for grave, intellectual, and religious topics,
but for the small talk I think they probably use music —
now, Mr. Seward, wait one moment before you answer.
I want to catch that expression I see on your face, before
you move a muscle."
The Episcopal Convention of the new diocese of Western
New York held its session in Auburn during August.
For a week the village was full of clergymen. It happened
also to be the anniversary week of the Presbyterian
Seminary, and it was remarked that nearly every other
man you met in the streets had spectacles or a white
cravat. Said one, "I see. Governor, that you are being
painted in a white'cravat; are you adopting the theolog-
ical custom?"
"No," said he, "that is .the artist's taste." Inman
added: "I never paint a man in a black cravat if I can
help it. On canvas, especially with a dark background,
it looks as if his head was cut off."
Inman remained two or three weeks in Auburn and
finished the "study," from which the full-length portrait
for the City Hall was to be painted. This "study" still
hangs in the parlour at Auburn, in its original place.
Sometime later the committee of the Conmion Council
met, who were to decide about the portrait, but they were
divided in opinion between that of Harding and that of
Inman. Both were so excellent that, after careful exami-
nation and comparison of views, they declared themselves
unable to say that either was better than the other.
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56 John Quincy Adams at Auburn
When this was announced to the artists, Inman with
his usual cheerful vivacity laughed and said to Harding:
"Well, we shall have to settle this ourselves. Let us
toss up for it?"
i Harding assented, and Inman, drawing a half dollar
from his pocket, threw it up in the air, saying, "Heads or
tails?"
Heads came up and Inman won.
His picture was formally turned over to the Common
Council, and it still hangs in the Governor's Room.
The friends who had originated the competition had
already determined that whichever picture was not taken
by the city, they would purchase, and present to my
father's children; they did so, and Harding's portrait
was intrusted to the care of Seth C. Hawley tmtil the
children should grow up.
, In due time it was delivered according to this arrange-
ment.
It hung in my house at Albany during my residence
there. When ^I moved to Washington, the Rev. Dr.
Campbell, on behalf of the trustees of the State Library,
asked that it might be left at Albany until my return.
For many years it occupied the central place in the row
of portraits at the library.
When the old library building was finally torn down to
make room for the new Capitol, it was transferred to the
Executive Chamber in that building, and there it still
hangs.
1843.
John Quincy Adams at Auburn. In the stimmer of
1843, John Quincy Adams was visiting Niagara Falls.
When news came that the venerable ex-President would
return through Western New York, my father, who had
been for so many years one of his political disciples, sug-
gested that he should be received with suitable demon-
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John Quincy Adams at Auburn 57
strations of welcome. The suggestion, however, was
hardly needed, for the western part of the State was full
of his admirers, some dating back to the time when he
was a presidential candidate; others more recently en-
listed imder his banner as defender of the Right of Petition.
At Buffalo he was received with a public demonstration
and an address by Mr. Fillmore, at Rochester with a pro-
cession, and at Canandaigua with an address by Francis
Granger.
My father and grandfather went over there to meet him.
Arriving at Auburn in the evening he was met by a torch-
light procession, which escorted him to our house, where
he was introduced to the people and addressed them
briefly from the steps. Much fatigued, he declined eating,
drank a glass of wine, and retired to his room as soon as
prepared. At five o'clock the next morning he ibse, and
at six went over to visit the State Prison, returning to
breakfast at eight.
The conversation turned naturally upon 'the condition
of public affairs and the political outlook. The question
of slavery having been broached, the customary opinion of
the times was expressed by one of the guests, that the
institution was a colonial inheritance from Great Britain,
incongruous with our republican system, which must
eventually disappear. To this Mr. Adams seemed to as-
sent. One of the gentlemen said: " But do you not think,
Mr. Adams, that it will be peacefully and legally abolished
— perhaps twenty, perhaps fifty years hence?" Mr.
Adams had sat with head bent forward, apparently in
reverie. The inquiry roused him in a moment. With
a keen glance at the speaker, he said: "I used to think so,
but I do not now. I am satisfied that it will not go down
until it goes down in hloodl''
A pause ensued and then somebody remembered that
it was time to proceed to the church, where Mr. Adam^
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58 John Quincy Adams at Auburn
was to have a formal public reception at nine o*clodc
The citizens of Auburn and their families had already filled
the church to overflowing.
The ceremonies at the church were simple. An address
of welcome by my father, in behalf of his townsmen, was
followed by suitable response from Mr. Adams, expressing
his thanks for the courtesy shown him, his good wishes
for the future of the village and its citizens, but without
touching upon any of the public questions of the day. A
short time was then spent in introductions, shaking hands,
and conversation. The hour fixed for his departure drew
near, and at eleven he left the railroad station in a special
train, amid the acclamations of the gathered crowd.
"Governor," said a friend, a short time afterward when
some allusion was made to the startling remark in regard
to slavery, "Mr. Adams is a very great man, but he is
growing old. Don't you think he is rather despondent,
— discouraged perhaps, by what he sees at Washington?"
"I think," was the answer, "that he is wiser than any
of us on that subject; but I shall not give up my hope of
a peaceful solution, so long as any such solution is possible.
At any rate it is our duty to labour for such a one."
Mr. Adams, after leaving Auburn, was received with
ovations along the entire route. The Whigs hoisted flags
in honour of his coming and had special ceremonies of
reception at Herkimer, Little Falls, and Schenectady.
He reached Boston three or four days later.
A characteristic expression of a steamboat captain with
whom he travelled illustrated the popular feeling. He
said: "Oh, if you could only take the engine out of the old
Adams, and put it into a new hull!"
1845.
Entering College. There is a fascination to every boy
in the idea of "going to college." However pleasant his
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Entering College 59
home, he has a natural desire to enter into the life of that
microcosm which is supposed to separate boyhood from
manhood. Usually, it is neither the studies nor the sports
which are the chief attraction, but rather the indefinable
longing to mingle with others, each of whom is also learn-
ing how to be "a man among men." At least that was
my case. My lot in childhood had been cast in pleasant
places, guarded with sedulous care, and cheered by every
reasonable indulgence; and yet I was quite ready, when
the time came, to go out to seek adventures in college
halls. At the age of fifteen, I had accompanied the pious
iEneas in his voyages to the end of his twelfth book of
hexameters, had dipped into the Greek Testament, and
pursued the Arabic numerals as far as the Rule of Three —
and so believed myself fit to be a freshman.
Union College had been my father's Alma Mater. Dr.
Nott, who was his preceptor there, and had been his guide,
philosopher, and friend ever since, was still hale and vigor-
ous and, as President, was still dispensing instruction and
discipline to another generation. So I was sent to become
a student at "Old Union."
I well remember the thrill of pleasurable excitement when
I donned my first frock coat, put on my first high hat and
standing collar, and heard myself accosted as "Mr. Sew-
ard." No more "roundabouts," no more of the enforced
tedium of the schoolroom, or the noisy fun of the play-
ground. Majora canamus.
My father accompanied me on the train to Schenectady.
On the way down the Mohawk Valley various passengers
came to talk to him. Among them was a young man who,
like myself, had a very youthful face surmotmted by a
very elderly hat, with standing collar and frock coat like
my own. He introduced himself as a son of Senator Hard,
and I was not surprised to learn that he was also on his
way to the college. We speedily became intimate friends.
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6o Entering College
He was in the senior class, and his superior wisdom and
experience enabled him to give me much useful informa-
tion in regard to my fellow students and instructors, and
the routine of college life. When we arrived at Schenec-
tady, he was surrotmded by a group of other students
at the station, whose jocose remarks to each other, and
easy self-possession in the presence of their elders, seemed
to me quite worthy of emulation.
We proceeded leisurely up Union Street, my father
pointing out scenes recalling incidents of his own college
days, and arrived at last at the grey old buildings "on
the Hill." Our first visit was to President Nott, and our
next, by his advice, to Professor Reed, at whose house
the Examining Board was in session. Both the venerable
President and the genial Professor of Greek had been fre-
quent visitors in Albany. The examination proved satis-
factory and not very severe. As one of my new college
friends had told me, "A freshman isn't expected to know
much at the beginning of his year, but he'U know lots
more at the end of it."
Presenting my certificates and pajdng the entrance fee
to the Registrar, Alexander HoUand, my name was entered
in the great book, and I was informed that I was duly
" matriculated." A key was handed me as that of a room
on the second floor in the South College, thenceforth to
be my home. Brick flooring and heavy oak stairs led up
to it. The walls were whitewashed, the floors bare, and
the woodwork of the plainest kind, but abundantly
ornamented by the carved initials of previous tenants,
which were also inscribed on some of the panes of glass
in the window. So far from regarding these as defects, it
pleased my fancy to believe that they indicated "fellows"
having a good time, and not subjected to overmuch in-
spection or restraint.
A cot and bedding, a table and chairs, a washstand and
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Entering College 6i
its apptirtenances, an oil lamp and a small looking-glass
were speedily purchased at a shop in the town. The shop-
keeper promised to send them up immediately. My father
told him to send the larger articles, adding that we would
carry up the small ones ourselves. So, taking the pitcher
in his hand, he gave me the lamp and looking-glass, and
we marched up Union Street again. On the way we met
Professor Reed, driving out with his family. "Why,
Governor," said he, "you look as if you were going to
housekeeping."
"No, I am not," was the reply, "but Frederick is, and
I thought that if he saw me carrying things through the
street of Schenectady, he would probably never be afraid
or ashamed to do it himself."
We spent the next day in Albany, and when I returned
in the evening, after taking leave of my father, I entered
my room, and found all my new furniture piled up in a
heap in the centre. I had not provided such trivial
necessaries as oil and matches, and so, groping in the dark
for enough to make a bed on the floor, I slept soundly
till daybreak.
At half-past five a loud knocking at the door roused
me. Opening it, I met the good-humoured face of an
Irishman who informed me that he was "Pat," and that he
had charge of the rooms. He gave me the further informa-
tion that the chapel bell at the West College would ring
at six, and a second time twenty minutes later, and then
be immediately followed by the roU-call. As the West
College was down in the town, and nearly a mile away, I
hastened my toilet, to arrive in time.
The West College, I found, was a substantial old brick
building, that had once been a school, and once served as
a town halL It was now the abode of the freshmen and
sophomores — the buildings on "the Hill" being entirely
filled by the senior and jimior classmen. In a large and
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62 Entering College
rather dingy-looking chapel I saw my future classmates
ranged in a row. There were but eighteen of us in all.
But on the other side of the chapel there was a larger row
of sixty or seventy sophomores. Some had the dress and
air of cultivated young gentlemen; others had not yet
discarded the look of rustic schoolboys.
We all listened intently to the roU-call, not only to
answer to our own names, but to learn the names of the
others. I think we hardly gave due attention to the
brief religious services, as we were eagerly scanning the
ranks, and wondering what sort of fellows we should find
each other to be. All things seem possible to the youth-
ful imagination; so I suppose that if I had that morning
been told that one of my fellow-students in that chapel
was destined to be a general, another a senator, another
a judge, another a bishop, another to be a cabinet minister,
and another to be president of the United States, I should
not have been at all surprised. But we all should have
been much surprised, if we had been told upon which
ones those destined honours were to fall.
A short recitation followed, and then we dispersed to
our respective breakfasts, and on the way began our
mutual acquaintance, without much formality of intro-
ductions.
As my room was on "the Hill" and my class at the
West College, it necessitated walking three times back
and forth between them. But this six-mile walk I soon
learned to consider no hardship, and it doubtless largely
contributed to my rapid improvement in health, strength,
and growth, for, having been rather a ptmy lad, I was
now attaining a height of nearly six feet.
There was a further advantage in the fact that I was
thus thrown into relations with the freshmen and sopho-
mores during part of the day, and with the juniors and
seniors during the other part, thus enlarging my acquaint-
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Entering College 63
ance, and allowing me to profit by the experiences of the
men of all classes.
The professors and tutors treated us all courteously,
and gave us instruction in their respective departments.
But matters of conduct and discipline were left almost
wholly to the President — or "Old Prex," as we used to
call him. We believed then, and I am of the same opinion
still, that for this work he was peculiarly gifted and quali-
fied. His profound and sympathetic knowledge of human
nature, his wise judgment, good humour, and good sense,
enabled him to win not merely respect but affection.
His chief aim seemed to be to cultivate and encourage
the student's self-reliance and sense of personal responsi-
bility— so as to fit him to become a good citizen and a
practical man of affairs. Doubtless he watched over us
with paternal care, but if there was espionage we never
knew it; if there was advice, it was soimd; if there was
reproof, it was deserved. Discipline there was, but never
harsh or tmjust.
Not only the curriculum of our studies, but our
organization of societies, debates, meetings, and elec-
tions were no bad preparation for similar work in later
Kfe.
The tone of the student body was such as might be
expected. We felt ourselves to be no longer schoolboys.
Mischievous pranks were tolerated, but not applauded
nor imitated. . There was a strong esprit de corps. New-
comers were treated with kindness; old graduates with
high regard. Of course there were students who were
inclined to dissipation and idleness; but these were the
exceptions, not the rule. There was a sort of latent feeling
that it behooved a student at "Old Union" to act like
a man and behave like a gentleman.
Athletic games and sports were not yet in fashion.
Yet we thought we had plenty of opportunity for outdoor
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64 Entering College
exercise, whether walking, riding, rowing, swimming,
boxing, or fencing.
It was my good fortune to have a seat at Dr. Nott's
table, and to that extent I became an inmate of his family
circle. It was a large one, comprising not only his family,
but the sons of several of his intimate friends. As he
sat benignly at the head of the table, there was nothing
of the stem pedagogue or the morose invalid in his manner.
He was rather the genial host, the wise and kindly grand-
father, always cheerful and interesting. Otu" undergrad-
uate talk was naturally of college tihemes and gossip,
but we were speedily lifted out of that, to the discussion
of the broader topics of the day. He would say:
"Clarkson, what do the papers say this morning about
the revolutionists in Paris? Are the students there still
singing the Marseillaise, and throwing up barricades in
the streets?"
"Howard, my son, how are they getting on at the
Novelty Works, with that newly invented cut-off valve
for the steam engine?"
"Mr. Perry, your German friends seem to be announc-
ing some almost incredible theories about the connection
of electricity with animal life."
"Mr. Whitridge, have you noticed those remarkable
discoveries of paintings in the recent excavations at
Pompeii?"
"Frederick, what do you hear from your brother with
the army in Mexico? I hope they are going to make
peace down there before long."
"Yes, John^ tirosh is the Hebrew word for the unfer-
mented juice of the grape. But you won't find any of
it in the Schenectady bar-rooms. They only sell the
intoxicating yayin, and even that I believe is adulterated."
I think he liked to draw out our crude opinions on these
and kindred topics. There was an amused twinkle in
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Entering College 65
his eye as he listened to them, but there was no parade
of superior knowledge in his comments. His sound
maxims and humorous illustrations would illimiinate the
whole subject, and, unconsciously to ourselves, we were
gaining as much instruction at every meal as from any
recitation in the classroom.
We did not realize then, as we have since, that we were
being led up from the realm of small talk to that of intel-
ligent observation of the world's progress in civilization
and enlightenment.
The study at Union that was of prime importance in
those days was known as " Kames." It was the afternoon
lecture or recitation of the senior class, in which Dr. Nott
was the preceptor. It was based upon Kames's Elements
of Criticism. But Lord Kames himself would have
rubbed his eyes in astonishment, if he could have seen
and heard the use that was made of his book. He would
have fotmd it so amplified and expanded that, instead of
a compend of aesthetics, it had become a comprehensive
study of htmian nature, ranging over the whole field of
physical, moral, and intellectual philosophy, and applied
to practical use in business, poUtics, and religion. Usually
this afternoon session took the form of a monologue by
Dr. Nott, replete with wit and wisdom, but varied occa-
sionally by question or dialogue, to keep up individual
attention in the class. We were taught the analysis of
human emotions and passions — how to control our own,
how to deal with the manifestation of them by others,
how to choose the modes of expression and the rules for
conduct of life that would enable each to use his natural
powers to the best advantage. Quotations from authors
and illustrations from history and from the Doctor's own
experience lent the whole a fascinating interest.
There was a pocket pamphlet surreptitiously printed
and circulated in the class, that was called ^'Little Kames."
s
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66 Entering College
It contained an abstract of each chapter, thus saving the
indolent student the labour of studying. Dr. Nott knew
of the practice but never positively forbade it. He used
to say the big book was better than the little primer, but
the little one was better than nothing.
He would say: "Someone in the class, I suppose, has
a copy of it in his pocket. Take it out, my son, and read
what the author says on the point we have been discuss-
ing. No, I don't want you to repeat his words by rote.
If you do, you may think it is an infallible rule, and per-
haps it isn't. I want you to read it over carefully, and then
think for yourself whether the author is right or wrong.
You can get a good deal of instruction out of a book that
you don't entirely agree with. If you wish to commit
universal truths to memory, take up your Bible or Shake-
speare. You will find more of them there than anywhere
else."
The ringing of the chapel bell at five o'clock brought
the lecture to an end. But aU graduates of that period
remember their "Kames." Many a clergyman, many an
author, many a lawyer and statesman has found that
Dr. Nott and "Kames" have given him the solution of
some of the most perplexing problems of his life.
When the students among themselves spoke of " Old
Prex," it was not in tones of disrespect, but rather those
of friendly regard. They looked after his stately figure
whenever it appeared in chapel or on the campus with
affectionate admiration, from the first day when they saw
him driving his three-wheeled carriage, to the last one
when he put on his three-cornered hat to distribute their
diplomas on Commencement Day.
Leaving College. The last days at college bring as
vivid a memory to the mind of the "alunmus" as the
opening ones. Each period marks an era in his life.
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Leaving College 67
When the inevitable "Commencement" (which is also
the ending) of our college life begins to loom up in the near
future, we of the senior class begin to realize that we are
about to leave tried friends and familiar scenes, and may
have to encounter others that may prove far less enjoyable.
We have reached the top of the present ladder, and
are to begin at the bottom of the next one. Our studies
are no longer onerous, and we no longer fear "exams."
Having learned aU that there is to know in the "curricu-
lum," we feel that we have attained a state of wisdom
and dignity almost, if not quite, equal to that of the
Faculty. We are confirmed in this opinion by the high
respect and deference shown to us by the members of the
lower classes.
Contrary to what might be expected, we talk but little
of our plans for oiu* future lives and careers in the world
of maturity. We have plenty of plans and projects but
their details are hazy and uncertain. Our immediate
topics of conversation are the things to be done at and
about Commencement time. There is an undertone of
regret at our approaching separation.
"Seward," said Charles Nott to me, one day, "these
fellows are exchanging daguerreotypes, and promising
to go to see each other, and to write each other once a
fortnight. Of course they won't do it, or can't do it —
at any rate, not long. Then coolness and distance will
supervene, and they will drift apart. What shall we do
about corresponding with each other?"
"Suppose," I answered, "that we make a promise that
we can keep. Let us promise never to write to each other,
except on business."
"Agreed," said he, and we shook hands on it.
Sixty years have elapsed since then, and the Chief
Justice and I have continued otu- uninterrupted friend-
ship. The mutual promise has been, on the whole, faith-
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68 Washington in ^49 and '50
fully kept — though the "business" has sometimes been
rather trivial. But such a promise is a sheet anchor for
good understanding, since it furnishes an all-sufficient
explanation for any apparent forgetfulness or lack of
interest.
1849-50.
Washington in '49 and '50. The Compromise Debate.
Fairly started as a law student, and endeavouring to
master that abstruse science by the help of Blackstone,
Kent, and divers and sundry other volumes boimd in for-
midable "law-calf," and even trying my "prentice
hand" at drawing papers for actual use in practice,
the study of my profession occupied my dajrs, until it
was interrupted for the winter by a simimons to Washing-
ton to become a private secretary of my father, who had
now been elected a member of the United States Senate.
I found him ensconced in his new home on P Street.
It was a respectable, unpretending red brick structure,
and was one of a block of three ordinary city houses, each
twenty-five feet wide and all just alike. Near the Patent
Office, the General Post Office, and the shops on Seventh
Street, it was a convenient place of residence, and within
walking distance of the Capitol. Some books had been
sent down from Auburn, with his old writing chair. His
office, or study, was established in the basement.
Washington in 1849 had become a town of about forty
thousand inhabitants, either connected with the business
of government themselves, or engaged in suppl3dng the
needs of those who were. It was in its least attractive
stage. The rural beauty of its youth was gone; the
tasteful elegance of its maturity had not yet come. It
was still the "City of Magnificent Distances." Little
else about it was magnificent. The white fronts of the
Capitol and the Executive Mansion gleamed through
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Washington in '49 and '50 69
surrounding foliage at each end of "the Avenue," the
substantial Post Office building and the long colonnade
of the Treasury looked finished and imposing. The old
brick edifices for State, War, and Navy Departments were
still standing. The Smithsonian was gradually rising
out of a chaos of brick and freestone. There was a maze
of broad, unpaved streets, dusty in summer, muddy in
winter, along which were scattered detached houses or
straggling rows of buildings. Lamps were few. Houses
were not numbered, and the visitor who wanted to find a
residence had to depend upon the hack-drivers, whose
method of memory seemed to be that each person lived
"just a little way from" somewhere else.
Though the capital of the nation, it was in all social
and industrial aspects a Southern town. The slave pen
and the auction block were prominent on a public thor-
oughfare. Many families owned slaves, whom they used
for domestic service or "hired out" to perform it for
others, the owner receiving the slave's wages. Society
looked upon "Abolition" with dread and disgust.
Not only in Washington but throughout the country
it was realized that the coming session of Congress was
likely to be a long and stormy one. Our great acquisition
of territory from Mexico, after the Mexican War, had
raised the question whether it should be used for slave-
holding or free States.
The two great political parties had commenced to dis-
integrate on that issue. The Democrats had nominated
General Cass and the Whigs General Taylor for the
Presidency. But many anti-slavery men of both parties
withdrew from their party affiliations, and held a formid-
able convention at Buffalo, where they organized a "Free
Soil" party, nominating ex-President Van Biu^n for
President and Charles Francis Adams for Vice-President.
The three-sided contest thus begtm resulted in the election
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70 Washington in '49 and '50
of General Taylor and a Congress embracing all the war-
ring elements.
Meanwhile the discovery of gold in California had at-
tracted thousands of new settlers. These held a conven-
tion and adopted a "Free-State" constitution, which
Congress was now to approve or reject.
On Monday, the 3d of December, the flags were hoisted
on the two wings of the Capitol. The Thirty-first Con-
gress began its session, destined to be a memorable one
in history. Of course I was a frequent visitor, to avail
myself of the opportunity to look down upon the proceed-
ings from the galleries.
The Senate Chamber of that period was the room
afterwards occupied by the Supreme Court. Semicircular
in form, graceful in proportions, with its dark marble
columns and crimson hangings, it had an air of stately
dignity, more impressive to the spectator in the narrow
gallery than the spacious, easy, and comfortable Chamber
of the present day. Looking down upon the Senators,
one saw many that were already famous. On the right
of the main aisle were to be seen the massive head and
deep-set eyes of Webster, the tall and commanding figure
of Clay, the dark but genial face of Corwin, the white
head of "Honest John Davis," the calm and cautious
visage of John Bell, the scholarly looking head of Berrien,
the tall forms of Mangum and Dayton, and the merry
smile of John P. Hale; on the left, the portly form of
General Cass, the towering bulk of General Houston,
ex-President of Texas, the classic head and genial face
of Colonel Benton, the long, grey locks and sharp attenu-
ated features of Calhoun, the erect, slender figure of
Jefferson Davis, the swarthy, foreign-looking face of Pierre
Soul6, the energetic, black-clothed "Little Giant" Doug-
las, the dark, curling locks of Hunter, and the silver-haired
familiar face of Daniel S. Dickinson.
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Washington in '49 and '50 71
As a new Senator, my father's choice among seats was
limited to such as were vacant. He selected one on the
Whig side, but soon after relinquished it to oblige Mr.
Clay, and took the chair on Clay's right hand, at the
extreme end of the back or outer row of chairs. This,
however, had some advantages. It was remote from the
noisy main entrance, and conveniently near the private
door, for conferences with friends or visitors. The Senate
Chamber was not so large but that every member could,
without difficulty, catch the eye of the presiding officer
and be heard in debate. He liked the place so well that
he retained it during most of his Senatorial term.
Passing over now to the other wing of the Capitol, I
entered the gallery of the House of Representatives. Here
I looked down upon a busy, bustling scene, very different
from the quiet dignity of the Senate. The House had
commenced its session with a struggle over the Speaker-
ship. The Whigs had nominated Robert C. Winthrop
of Massachusetts. The Democrats had nominated How-
ell Cobb of Georgia. As a majority of the whole House
was required to elect a Speaker, there was no choice.
Anti-slavery men were baffled; Southern men were exult-
ant.
The House as a whole contained many members whose
names were then, or have since, become historic. Massa-
chusetts had sent Horace Mann and Robert C. Winthrop;
Pennsylvania had Thaddeus Stevens and David Wilmot;
North Carolina, Edward Stanley; Georgia had sent
Alexander H. Stephens, Robert Toombs, and Thomas
Butler King; Alabama, Henry W. Hilliard; Mississippi,
Albert J. Brown and Jacob Thompson; Louisiana,
Charles W. Conrad; Ohio had Joshua R. Giddings, David
A. Carter, Robert C. Schenck, Samuel F. Vinton, and
Lewis D. Campbell; Kentucky had Linn Boyd; Tennessee
had Andrew Johnson and Frederick P. Stanton; Illinois
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72 Washington in '49 and '50
h,ad Edward D. Baker, John A. McClernand, and John
Wentworth; Wisconsin had Charles Durkee, and Min-
nesota, Henry K. Sibley.
The New York delegation was a strong one and pre-
sented many faces with which I was already familiar.
Of the thirty-four, the larger part were Whigs. Among
them were John A. King, Charles E. Clarke, Harvey
Putnam, Ehjah Risley, O. B. Matteson, John L. School-
craft, William A. Sackett, Elbridge G. Spaulding, and A.
M. Schermerhom. Among the Democrats was Preston
King.
Roll-call after roll-call followed each other in tedious
succession. Nearly three weeks were consumed in fruit-
less attempts to effect a choice. Sixty-two ballotings
were taken, and between them occurred heated debates
and recriminations. One day an Indiana member was
nearly elected by a hasty combination, which then col-
lapsed amid great excitement.
At last, on the 226. of December, it was decided to let
a plurality determine the result. This elected Howell
Cobb. So the Democrats had control of both Chambers.
The speakership contest having been settled on Saturday,
the President was informed that Congress would be ready
to receive his message on Monday.
President Taylor was a Southern man and a slaveholder.
But he was an old soldier, intensely loyal to the Union,
with the firmness of General Jackson, but without his
stormy temper. General Scott used to say that when he
spoke of General Taylor as "an upright man" his wife
quickly added, "Yes, and a downright one." My father
in one of his letters to Weed, said: "The malcontents of
the South mean to be factious, and they expect to compd
compromise. I think the President is as willing to try
conclusions with them as General Jackson was with the
NuUifiers."
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Washington in '49 and '50 73
Monday morning the message was received. Of course
the part most eagerly listened to, as it was read from the
Clerk's desk, was that which declared the President's
policy in regard to the new Territories. This was saga-
doiis and clear. Shortly after his inauguration he had
sent out to the Pacific Coast Thomas Butler Bang, of
Georgia, to invite the people of California and New Mexico
to form State constitutions, and with them apply for
admission to the Union. This was the "President's
plan," and it seemed to be a more speedy and practicable
plan than either the plan of "disunion" or the plan of
"compromise," especially as California had already ac-
cepted the invitation, and was now ready to present herself
at the door of Congress with a "free-State constitution."
But for that very reason it was not satisfactory to those
who deemed "an equilibrium" necessary, between free
and slaveholding States, nor to those who wanted slavery
extended. My father, having heartily concurred in the
President's invitation when it was sent, was now even
more heartily disposed to approve and defend its results.
The deep dissatisfaction which existed in the South
in view of the possibility that slaveholders might be for-
bidden to take their slaves to California was manifested
in both Chambers nearly every day. One representative
said: "If slavery is to be abolished in the District, or
prohibited in the Territories, I trust in God that my eyes
have rested on the last Speaker of the House of Represen-
tatives." Another said: "I do not hesitate to own,
before this House and the country, and in the presence of a
living God, that if, by your legislation, you seek to drive us
from the Territories, and to abolish slavery in this District,
I am for Disunion." In one wing of the Capitol it was
said: "The day in which aggression is consummated, this
Union is dissolved," and in the other wing a Senator echoed
that the Union was "already dissolved."
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74 Washington in '49 and '50
The Senate was believed to be conservative, and had
among its members Clay, Webster, Calhoun, Benton,
Cass, and Douglas— all ambitious to lead, and none of
them desirous to follow anybody.
Mr. Clay believed the times were ripe for another great
compromise like that of 1820. One day toward the dose
of January he rose from his chair in the Senate Chamber,
and, waving a roll of papers, with dramatic eloquence and
deep feeling announced to a hushed auditory that he held
in his hand a series of resolutions proposing an amicable
arrangement of all questions growing out of the subject of
slavery.
Read and explained by its author, this plan of compro-
mise was, to admit California, and to establish territorial
governments in the other portions of the region acquired
from Mexico, without any provision for or against slavery,
to pay the debt of Texas and fix her western boundary,
to declare that it was "inexpedient" to abolish slavery
in the District of Columbia, but expedient to put some
restrictions on the slave-trade there, to pass a new and
more stringent fugitive slave law, and to formally deny
that Congress had any power to obstruct the slave-trade
between the States.
His speech was by turns impressive and courtly, im-
perious and sarcastic. He dwelt with pathos upon the
country's " bleeding wounds " which he proposed to stanch.
The Senators listened in silence. Most of them were
desirous of some compromise that would "finally settle
the slavery question," but very few were disposed to
accept this one in its entirety. The proposed admission
of California and the abolition of the slave-trade in the
District of Columbia were distasteful to the Southern
Senators, while the assumption of the debt of Texas, the
quasi opening of the Territories to slavery, and the proposed
Fugitive Slave Law were equally objectionable to Northern
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Washington in '49 and '50 75
ones. So began the long debate, lasting through winter,
spring, and summer.
Meanwhile the newspapers and letters from constitu-
ents showed that elsewhere, as well as at the Federal
capital, the proposed Compromise was an engrossing topic.
Meetings were held in support of it. State legislattu*es
took ground for and against it. Absurd rumours fotmd
credence in the lobbies. One day there was an alarm
that the House of Representatives was "to be broken up
by Southern men coming armed for contest." The next,
the story was that there would be "no shooting," but that
the Southern members "would withdraw in a body."
California contributed to the excitement. Her new con-
stitution was received, published, and commented upon.
Dr. Gwin and Colonel Fr6mont, whom she had chosen as
her Senators, were annotmced to be on their way to
Washington.
Each of the leaders in Senatorial debate felt that the
hour had come for him to define his position. Mr. Bell,
of Teimessee, introduced a new series of resolutions,
similar in principle but differing in detail.
Mr. Calhoun, though in failing health, obtained the
floor for a speech. Everybody awaited it with great in-
terest, regarding him as the acknowledged exponent of
Southern opinion. He had already said briefly, in solemn
tones, that he had "long laboured faithfully to repress
the encroachment of the North," that he "saw where it
would end, and now despaired of seeing it arrested in
Congress." "What the South will do," he added, "is
not for me to say. They will meet it, in my opinion, as
it ought to be met."
When he rose to speak on the 4th of March, an expect-
ant throng filled the Senate Chamber. His gatmt figure
and emaciated features attested that he had risen from a
sick bed; but his fiery eyes and tmshaken voice showed he
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76 Washington in '49 and '50
had no intention of abandoning the contest. In a few
words he explained that his health would not permit him
to deliver the speech he had prepared, but that "his
friend the Senator behind him [Mason] would read it for
him." Beginning by saying that he had believed from
the first that "the agitation of thcsubject of slavery'*
would probably end in "disunion," the speech opposed
Clay's plan of adjustment, attacked the President's plan,
adverted to the growing feeling at the South that it could
not remain in the Union "with safety and honour,"
pointed out the gradual snapping, one after another, of
the links which held the Union together, and expressed
the most gloomy forebodings for the future. When he
closed, the general feeling in Washington was that it was
Calhoun's last speech, and that it had rung the knell of
the Union.
Three day^ later a similar or greater throng gathered
to hear Daniel Webster's great "7th of March speech,"
which has ever since been regarded as marking a distinct
era in his life. When he rose from his seat, in the middle
of the Chamber, wearing his customary blue coat with
metal buttons, he stood grave and sombre as a sphinx.
He was listened to with eager curiosity. There had been
much uncertainty as to his probable course, and his con-
versation had. been reticent and guarded. He began
slowly, calmly, almost judicially, without a gesture or
movement for several minutes. Then, growing slightly
more animated, he drew his hand out from his breast to
emphasize a sonorous utterance. He was, as alwajrs,
clear and powerful. His words, while they disappointed
thousands of his friends at the North, lent new vigour
to the "Compromisers," with whom, it was seen, he
would thenceforth act, Washington society was delighted
to gain such a champion, but as one of his colleagues
C3mically remarked: "Wait tiU you hear from Boston."
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Washington in '49 and '50 77
On the nth of March, my father had the flcx>r. There
was no uncertainty about the position of "the ultra
Senator from New York/' who was deemed the head and
front of the unpopular anti-slavery minority. No crowd
filled the galleries, and there was but a slim attendance
of Senators, though many of the newly elected Represen-
tatives came over from the other chamber to listen to him.
The speech was elaborate and one of his best. He ad-
vocated the immediate admission of California, and the
abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, denounced
the proposed fugitive slave law, and called up a picture
of what would happen when the projectors of distuiion
should come to draw the lines of their new "republic of
the South." He told them it would entail border warfare,
stoppage of trade and travel and social intercourse, fami-
Ues and kindred separated and converted into enemies,
new and onerous taxes and conscriptions to maintain an
army and navy "under the new and hateful banner of
sedition"; and all this done to secure the institution of
African slavery. He said the question of dissolution
embraced the fearful issue whether the Union should
stand and slavery be removed by gradual, peaceful effort,
with compensation — or the Union be dissolved, "and
civil war ensue, bringing on violent but complete and
immediate emancipation.*' He closed by sa3dng that
the Union would survive even such a conflict — that it was
the creature of necessities, physical, moral, social, and
political, and "endures because some government must
exist here and no other government but this can."
Every morning's mail now brought a pile of criticisms
and commendations upon this speech from far and near.
Warm, enthusiastic, and grateful letters came from the
Pacific Coast. The boldness of its dissent from such
honoured leaders as Clay and Webster called forth the
censure of many of his own party as well as of the other.
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78 Washington in '49 and '50
His vivid description of what a civil war in the United
States would be— and his prediction that it would inevita-
bly bring sudden and violent emancipation, attracted less
attention from either friends or foes than might have
been expected — ^perhaps because neither of them, at that
period, were disposed to believe that such events could
actually happen.
Those who were seeking for a vulnerable point for
attack in his argument thought they had found one in
his declaration that the fugitive slave law was not only
in contravention of the Constitution, but also of the higher
law of justice and humanity. This mention of a "higher
law" was denounced as certainly treason and little short
of blasphemy. It was held that no law could be higher
than the Constitution, even those of the Almighty, — ^for
every good citizen was bound to obey the one; while the
other he could think as he pleased about. The phrase
"higher law" became a bsrword of political reproach and
a theme of religious discussion. Press and pupit through
the country divided in opinion over it. It was pronounced
pernicious, inmioral, and wicked. It was declared to be
moral, philosophic and Christian. Nearly every public
man of prominence found himself called upon to state
what his views were in regard to the relative obligation
of divine and himian laws. Even those who disliked the
provisions of the Fugitive Slave Law were required to
say that it should be obeyed "because it was law," and
also because it would please the South. Of course views
varied with varying minds and tempers.
Beginning with criticism by the cautious, the debate
ran into rancorous and abusive epithets by the zealous
and violent. The phrase was repeated and quoted so
often that it became associated with my father's name,
and with that of his party. The wordy storm raged for
months, and was not forgotten during his lifetime. Yet
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Washington in '49 and '50 79
the most rancorous of his critics were all the while declaring
that the right of disunion and secession was considerably
"higher" than any constitution ever made.
Colonel Benton spoke more than once in the long de-
bate. His commanding personality, his originality and
independence, and his incisive sarcasm always secured
attention. Although representing a slave State, he had
no sympathy with disunion, and not much with the " Com-
promise " proposed to avert it. He moved to take up and
pass the California bill without regard to other measures.
General Cass and most of the other Northern Senators
followed the lead of Clay and Webster. There were only
three anti-slavery dissenters, Seward, Hale, and Chase.
A select "Committee of Thirteen'' was appointed,
having six Northern Senators and six Southern ones and
one to be chosen by the twelve. To this committee the
resolutions were referred, and it was expected to mature
some scheme that should solve "all pending differences
growing out of the institution of slavery." Clay was
chairman, and Webster, Cass, Bell, Dicldnson, Berrien,
Mangum, and Mason were among the members.
The death of Calhoun and the funeral honours to his
memory occasioned a pause, but only a brief one, in the
engrossing debate.
Winter passed away. Spring buds and blossoms came,
and the hot summer sunshine began. But there was
no talk of adjournment. Not only Congress but the
country was absorbed in the great debate. Newspapers
throughout the land were teeming with it. In May the
Committee of Thirteen reported a scheme, embodying
substantially all of Clay's propositions with the addition
of one to make Utah a distinct Territory. This compound
legislation soon gained the poptdar nickname of "the
Omnibus Bill."
It proved an unwieldy vehicle, as it rumbled on through
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8o Washington in '49 and '50
more speeches and more debates, with an occasional test
vote on some minor point.
On the Whig side, Senators Upham and Truman Smith
took ground against it. On the Democratic side, Sena-
tors Douglas, Morton, and Shields said it would be do*
feated as a whole, but most of its measures might be
taken up and passed separately. John Bell's speech was
able and scholarly, and intended to be impartial, but
seemed not even to satisfy himself. On the first day of
its delivery, people in the galleries said, "Bell is for it.*'
On the second day they said, "Bell will vote against it."
On the third that he "cannot make up his mind."
My father made a second speech, in which he described
"the Slaveholders' Dream" — ^a dream of new States sur-
rounding the Gulf of Mexico, combined with the old slave
States and constituting a Slave Empire with its metropolis
in the Crescent City. This, he said, was woven of "the
stiaflE that dreams are made of," and yet "nothing seems
impossible to the slaveholders, after the advantages they
have already gained."
As the stunmer wore on, Mr. Clay began to look wearied
and haggard and to betray impatience and temper. The
fiery sun beat down each day more pitilessly on the hot
Capitol and its heated orators in the two chambers.
One of the recreations of Washington society was to
gather in the grounds of the Executive Mansion, to sit
in the shade and fan themselves, while listening to the
strains of the Marine Band.
One Saturday afternoon, my father and I strolled from
there across Lafayette Square, to call on Mr. Clayton,
the Secretary of State. He received us with hearty South-
em haspitality. His sideboard with decanters and
glasses stood m the front hall, and every visitor was in-
vited to refresh himself. He was tall, sturdy, white-
haired, and of very genial presence.
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Washington in '49 and '50 8i
In his easy chair, glass in hand, he gave us the latest
gossip of the executive circle. The President was not
going to budge from his position. The Queen of England
was going to approve the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, whether
Nicaragua liked it or not. Sir Henry and Lady Bulwer
were going to Staten Island for the summer, and later
would receive higher diplomatic rank. The Queen of
Spain wanted pay for the Amistad slaves, liberated by our
Supreme Court. She would not get it. The King of the
Sandwich Islands had sent his two sons to visit the United
States, in charge of a missionary. Rev. Dr. Judd. They
were educated, erect, graceful, and were royal princes.
Washington society was disposed to adore their rank,
but balked at their complexion. It was feared they might
be "black." Most of the diplomats were out of town.
Most of the Congressmen wanted to be, but couldn't.
The South American republics were having their usual
revolutions — ^none very sanguinary, but generally all
ending in the dictatorship of some general.
The Secretary talked thus of the world's governmental
problems with the freedom and ease of an expert chess
player about the moves of a game. His conversation was
areminder that " there are more things in heaven and earth '*
— ^besides Congressional debates.
As had been foreshadowed, the "Omnibus Bill" was
defeated as a whole, but the several measures composing
the "Compromise" were taken up separately, and fresh
debate on each ensued. In this complex contest the House
of Representatives, the State legislatures, and the news-
papers were now taking active part.
It had long been a custom at the Academy of the Visita-
tion at Georgetown to ask the President to come as an
honoured guest to the annual exercises, and bestow the
prizes upon the members of the graduating class. General
Taylor complied with the invitation, but the day proved
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82 Washington In *49 and ^50
very hot even for July. Returning much heated and
fatigued to the White House, he ate freely of cherries and
drank freely of milk. This was believed to be the incip-
ient cause of an illness, news of which now alarmed the
capital and the coimtry. A long line of anxious in-
qtiirers besieged the doors of the White House.
A few days later it was annoimced that the physicians
had given up hope. On the morning of the loth, those
who lived near the Executive Mansion were awakened by
the solemn tolling of the bell on the old State Department.
The dreaded calamity had happened. It was the second
of that series of events, each of which has made an epoch
in the history of the country.
There is always deep and sincere grief in Washington
over the death of a President. Many have become his
personal friends and admirers. Many more have been
building hopes and aspirations upon his continuance in
oflBce. Then follows a brief period of curiosity and appre-
hensions in regard to the probable policies of his successor.
Gradually the coimtry settles down to acceptance of the
inevitable, in accordance with the ancient maxim, "The
King is dead, long live the King!"
Vice-President Fillmore proceeded to the House of
Representatives, and there took the oath of office without
any ostentatious ceremony.
When it was announced a few dajrs later that the new
President had invited Mr. Webster to become his Secretary
of State, and that the invitation had been accepted, it
became evident that the new Administration would dis-
card "General Taylor's Plan," and instead would cast
its influence in favour of "Clay's Compromise." The
Compromisers themselves had almost lost heart when
they found the Compromise had failed in its entirety,
but they were now inspired with new zeal by the belief
that it could be taken up and carried through piecemeal.
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Washington in '49 and '50 83
The tone of Congress began to veer, especially as the
press and the country seemed to grow weary of the strife,
and ready to accept any panacea that time-honoured
leaders assured them would "finally settle the slavery
question."
Looking down from the galleries, I saw the closing
scenes of the great drama pass in rapid succession. The
California BiU was taken up. Attempts were made by
its opponents to remand her to a territorial condition,
or to remit her constitution to a new convention, or to
cut her in two by the line of 36^ 30'. When these had all
failed, she was at last admitted. The Senate doors opened
and Dr. Gwin and Colonel Fr6mont entered to take their
seats as Senators, amid much handshaking with their
friends.
The other measures were ordered to their third reading.
My father made a last attempt for emancipation in the
District of Columbia, but of course his amendment was
voted down, and slavery was left imdisturbed there,
except that the slave-trade was restricted. New Mexico
and Utah were organized into Territories open to slave-
holders. The "Texas Boundary Bill" was passed, taking
ten million dollars from the Treasury to pay off the dis-
credited " Texas scrip," large amounts of which were said to
be in the pockets of members of Congress and their inti-
mate friends. The "Fugitive Slave Law" was rushed
through.
I happened to be in the Congressional Library that
morning, when I saw many Northern members coming in,
one by one, and aimlessly strolling about. Inquiring of
one what was going on in the House, I was told that the
Fugitive Slave Law was about to be voted on. These
were the "dodgers," who did not want to vote for it, nor
dare to vote against it.
I hurried over to the House gallery, in time to find
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84 The "Evening Journal" Office
Thaddeus Stevens on his feet, and sarcastically moving
that the Speaker might "send one of his pages to inform
the members that they can return with safety, as the
slavery question has been disposed of!''
1851.
The << Evening Jounial" Office. A rather unpretend-
ing three-story brick building stood on the north side of
State Street in Albany, about halfway down the hill, on
the comer of James Street. This was the oflSce of the
Albany Evening Journal, a paper of wide political repute,
and whose editor-in-chief was Thurlow Weed. All agreed
as to Mr. Weed's sagacity and shrewdness, however they
might differ as to his course. He was popularly regarded
as a "Warwick the ICing Maker," who moved party mag-
nates like chessmen, elevating or putting down legislators,
State officers, governors, and even presidents. He was
still in his prime, though his head was beginning to grow
grey, and his shoulders to stoop a little.
After my admission to the bar I had entered upon the
practice of the law. But a few months later I received
an invitation from Mr. Weed to come and try my hand,
for a time at least, in journalism.
The winter of 1 851-1852 foimd me installed in the edi-
torial room as one of the assistants. Everything there
was simple, plain, and businesslike. Our editorial furni-
ture consisted merely of a table, a chair, an inkstand and
pair of scissors for each, and a shelf or two of books of
reference, besides piles of exchange papers ever3rwhere.
Adjoining this room was the long one where the foreman
and compositors were setting type and making up the
"forms," which were then sent down to the press-room
in the basement. A counting-room on the first floor
opened upon the street.
Mr. Weed introduced me to my future associates.
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The "Evening Journar' Office 85
George Dawson, long his trusted lieutenant, was the
" managing editor." He sat by one window and my table
was placed at another. John Ten Eyck, the " city editor, "
had a small room by himself. There were legislative and
other reporters, and occasionally E. Peshine Smith or
some other unattached journalist would be called in for
editorial work. Visscher Ten Eyck and his nephew Philip
had charge of the coimting-room and the books.
It was not a large editorial force, but a busy one. Giles
Winne had for many years been the foreman in the com-
posing room, and now his son, Jacob, reigned in his stead.
Work began with the daylight, and continued with in-
creasing activity imtil three, when the paper went to
press. The scene of labour was then transferred to the
press-room in the basement, the mail wagons, and newsboys
in the streets.
The work of the journalist, like that of the housewife,
is never done, and I found that it was often necessary or
wise to devote some evening hours to preparation of the
matter for ''tomorrow's paper."
When I first took pen in hand Mr. Weed gave me
two valuable maxims for my guidance: '* First. Never
write any article without some clear and definite point
and purpose. Second. When written, go carefully over
it and strike out every superfluous word or sentence, and
then see how much you have improved it." As he re-
marked: "People have to sit and listen to a sermon or a
speech that may be full of rambling repetitions. But
when they find the newspaper growing dull or tedious,
they simply lay it down, and don't take it up again."
Another thing that I speedily discovered was that there
is little time in an editor's "sanctiun" to study up a
subject or to consult authorities. The editor, whether
right or wrong, must be swift in decision and prompt in
expression. His readers will be eager for any information
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86 The "Evening Journar* Office
he can give them about the topic they are interested in
today. But they care little about what happened day
before yesterday, and less about his comments thereon,
if deferred till day after tomorrow. Furthermore he is
expected to know something about everjrthing, to say
why things happen, and who is to blame for them. Like
every college graduate, I had fancied that I had accumu-
lated a considerable amount of useless information on a
variety of subjects. But I soon learned that any scrap
of knowledge that I possessed on any subject was likely
to come into imexpected need, some day or other. Report-
ers sometimes carry this doctrine to such extremes that
when they cannot get facts, they accept rumoiu^ and
then invent details to embellish them. Even conjectures
are only too readily believed when they are new. This
was just the reverse of the rule I had learned in my law
office, that "you must assert nothing that you cannot
prove."
As our staff was small, our work was not divided and
apportioned, but was rather conducted on the plan that
each was to give his aid wherever it was most needed at
the time. So, within a few weeks, I found myself as-
signed to proof-reading, reporting, news gathering, liter-
ary reviewing, editorial writing, and general management.
Either editor might any day find himself in sole charge.
The first time that event happened to me the responsibility
seemed oppressive. I felt as if the world would be out of
joint if the Evening Journal should not get to press at the
usual hour, through my labours, and the equally important
ones of Jacob Winne, the foreman.
There are many visitors each day at the editorial room.
The throng included dignitaries of Church and State,
members of the Legislature and Congress, State and dty
officials, political leaders, editors of other journals, poptilar
lecturers, bankers, merchants, managers of institutions,
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The ** Evening Journar* Office 87
hospitals, and places of amusement, each of whom had
something that he wished to say, or to have said, in the
Journal. This procession of visitors would be interesting
and often instructive, if it did not continually interrupt
editorial work; which must go on, for the press, like "time
and tide," will wait for no man, and the Journal's hour
for going to press was 3 p.m. So I found it was necessary
to acquire the axis of learning what was in a pile of papers
by merely skimming through them, of getting at the heart
of long disquisitions without reading them, and of writing
on one subject, while asking questions or answering them
about another.
Mr. Weed was tall, active, and vigorous, an indefatigable
worker in the oflSce and out of it. Although the Journal
was only twenty years old, it was already a recognized
political power in the State and the leading organ of its
party. Desiring no official position for himself, he was
regarded as the wise and disinterested adviser of all aspi-
rants for place. Besides his reputation for political saga-
city, he had won esteem as a pubUc-spirited citizen and a
philanthropist of wide though unostentatious benevo-
lence. The word "boss" had not yet come into use as a
designation for a political magnate, but his friends often
spoke of him as "the Old Man" or the "Dictator," while
his opponents described him as an arch-conspirator.
So much about him the public could readily compre-
hend. But there was another source of his power, less
well understood. That was his control of public opinion
through his influence with the press of the State. From
natural sympathy as well as policy, he was the intimate
friend and adviser of other journals and journalists. He
was always ready to help them with material for their
colunms and aid in their business enterprises. Every
county in the State had its local Whig journal at the
county seat, whose editor looked to Thurlow Weed as hi$
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88 The "Evening Journar' Office
political guide and personal friend. His views were
echoed and repeated, and when some important problem
was under discussion, the Evening Journal would repro-
duce and quote their editorials, to show their practical
unanimity, on a page devoted to " The Voice of the Press/'
One of the natural results of this esprit de carps and
friendly intimacy, was his thorough knowledge of edito-
rial plans and projects. Very few changes of proprietor-
ship and very few schemes for new newspaper enterprises
were entered upon without previous consultation with
him. When in the Presidential election of 1840 it was
decided to start a Whig campaign paper called the Jeffer-
sonian^ Mr. Weed went to New York to look up an editor
for it. He foimd a young man struggling with a not very
prosperous literary periodical. Earnest and industrious,
of advanced opinions and somewhat eccentric habits, he
possessed a philosophical temper and a positive genitis
for editorial work. This was Horace Greeley, who thence-
forth became a frequent visitor to the Journal office and
a warm friend of Thurlow Weed. The Jeffersonian was
succeeded by the Log Cabin, and after General Harrison's
election it developed into the New York Tribune, and
entered upon its long and enduring career.
Several years later, after I had become an assistant
editor of the Journal, I was present at a consultation over
the feasibility of establishing a new morning journal in
New York. Charles A. Dana, then of the Tribune, and
Henry J. Rasrmond, then of the Courier and Inquirer,
had come to Mr. Weed to ask his advice and approval
of such an enterprise. All agreed that no new journal
could hope to compete with the Herald in the business of
gathering world-wide news, or with the Tribune in advo-
cating measures of progress and reform. But Rajrmond
was confident that there was a field somewhere between
the two, for a paper that would suit the taste of a great
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The *' Evening Journal '* Office 89
middle class of New York, conservative in politics, want-
ing accurate news, rather than reforms or sensations, or
gossip and scandals. The outcome of this conference
was the starting of the New York Times, and the tall
tower that stands today in Times Square is a monument
to the wise judgment of its founders.
How to get the busy New York public to turn aside
from its accustomed papers long enough to buy or read
the new newspaper was the next problem. Dana's opinion
was that it should follow Weed's method of short, crisp
editorial articles, keenly critical and yet htunorous. His
success, in after years, with the New York Sun exempli-
fies what he had in mind. Raymond believed that the
way to win public attention to a new paper would be to
make it the special source of information on one great
topic at a time, that might then be engrossing the public
mind. This line of action he afterward pxu^ued at the
time of Kossuth's visit, and again in the investigation
and pursuit of the Tweed Ring. The press like the drama
must "hold the mirror up to nature," and reflect the
temper of the time.
Journalism I found a pursuit quite attractive, and well
suited to my tastes and disposition. Political questions
and contests had more interest for me than legal ones. To
lead and rightly guide public opinion seemed to me the
height of any reasonable ambition. I had no hankering
for public office. Although only just arrived at the voting
age, it seemed as if I had already had a lifetime of obser- .
vation of the working of the business of office-seeking and
office-holding, and I had no desire to engage in that strug-
gle. Public office I had been taught to consider a duty,
to be neither sought nor shimned; I heartily agreed with
that instruction, and intended to avoid, so far as possible,
its lures, its responsibilities, and its inevitable unsatis-
factory ending. So I was resolved that whatever pubUc
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90 Editorial Topics
duty I might be called upon to perform should not be of
my own seeking.
Editorial Topics. Looking now .over the files of the
Evening Journal of half a century ago, I note how topics
have passed away or lost interest. Questions have been
settled, opinions changed, things local and temporary
have been relegated to oblivion. One can perceive the
changes that have taken place in the country's history,
as well as in the character of its journalism. If a contrast
were to be drawn between the newspaper articles of that
day and this, I should say the older ones had more of
strenuous earnestness, and the later ones more of the air
of judicial impartiality.
My own editorials were ntmierous, the earlier ones
crude enough — some well intended but based on mistaken
premises — but some of the later ones containing forecasts
since verified.
There was no lack of topics for discussion and comment
during the ten years I spent in the Evening Journal oflSce.
The foreign news, then received by steamer instead of
Atlantic cable, brought many events of stirring interest:
the revolutionary movements in European capitals; the
Hungarian revolution and Kossuth's visit to America;
the Crimean War; Lrouis Napoleon's coup d'Stat; the war
in Italy; the liberation of Venice and Rome; the doings
of Garibaldi, Victor Emmanuel, and Cavour.
Then there were the political movements in the United
States: the Compromise and the Fugitive Slave Law; the
Presidential campaign between Pierce and Scott; the
gradual disintegration of parties; the "Old Hunkers"
and "Barn-burners"; the "Hards" and "Softs"; the
"Old Line Whigs"; the rise and fall of the "Know-noth-
ing" or "Native American party"; the collapse of the
Whigs; the rise of the Republican party and its progress
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A New Word 91
throughout the Northern States; Douglas's Nebraska
Bill and the repeal of the Missouri Compromise; the
Presidential campaign between Buchanan and Prtoont;
the Dred Scott Decision and the claim of the extension
of slavery to all States and Territories; the struggle in
Kansas between the free-State settlers and the "Border
Ruffians"; the appointment of Kansas governors and
the application of Kansas for admission to the Union;
the national conventions at Charleston, Baltimore, and
Chicago ; the nomination and election of Lincoln and Ham-
En and the advent of the Republicans to political power —
altogether an exciting series of critical events both at
home and abroad.
Chief among the topics of political discussion during
the ten years prior to the Civil War, was the question of
the extension of slavery.
1853-
A New Word. One morning my friend, E. Peshine
Smith, who was a lover of linguistic and other historical
problems, came into the Evening Journal office with a
new suggestion.
He said: "It is time that we invented a word to take
the place of our cumbrous phrase, 'telegraphic despatch*
or ' telegraphic message. ' Now that we have the telegraph
we ought to have some shorter word to take the place of
two long ones."
"Well, what word do you suggest?"
"Telegram. That is of Greek origin like 'telegraph'
and is a perfectly proper derivative. Telegraph is the
machine that writes. Telegram is the thing that it
writes. It is analogous to 'epigram,' 'anagram,* and
'monogram.'"
"Well! let us try it in the Evening Journal today."
So the new word was put forth. But individuals and
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92 A Thanksgiving Relic
newspapers did not take kindly to it. They thought it
looked queer, and was an aflEectation. Some said "tele-
graph " was a good enough word to use. One or two news-
papers followed the Journal's example, but the general
public pooh-poohed it, and so the word fell into gradual
disuse.
Six months later, E. Peshine Smith came in again, tri-
umphantly waving a copy of the London Times.
"See here," said he; "the 'Thtmderer ' has got our word,
and what is more, it applauds it as a very convenient
abbreviation."
I asked: "Does it call it an Americanism?"
"No," said he. "Just uses it. Now we will see
whether the papers here will take any more kindly to it,
when it comes to us with a foreign stamp on it."
And sure enough they did. "Telegram" came soon
into general use, and is so still.
I said to Mr. Smith: "It seems that a new word is like
a new opera singer. She may have ever so good a voice,
but she will not be appreciated, if bom in this country,
until she has been to Lrondon and back again."
A Thanksgiving Relic. Anniversaries and holidays
were of course recorded in the Evening Journal with
suitable editorial comments. Thanksgiving was espe-
cially observed, and Mr. Weed, on that day, presented
each one of his employees with a turkey for his family
dinner.
Thanksgiving, in those days, was a State and not a
national festival. The governor of each State designated
the day at his pleastu^. Perhaps as an assertion of
"State rights," these days were often of different dates.
But it happened that in 1853 quite a large number chose
the same date.
I wrote an editorial article, on this occasion, for the
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A Thanksgiving Relic 93
Journal. Then I heard no more of it for fifty-nine years.
In 1912, I received a letter enclosing a newspaper clip-
ping from my old friend Judge Nott, ex-Chief Justice of
the United States Court of Claims. It ran as follows:
"Princeton, June 19, 1912.
" I have kept this tribute to Thanksgiving all these years ;
and send it to you now, because I think that there is no
one in the world who will appreciate its beauties so much
as you, except me.
" Do you remember it? I stand ready to bet that you
have forgotten its existence. It is associated in my mind
with two men, Mr. Blatchford and Mr. Weed. Mr.
Blatchford read it and said: 'Weed, that is the very best
thing of the kind that you ever wrote, or ever will write.'
"Mr. Weed repUed: 'Yes, that is very true, except that
I did not write it, and Fred Seward did.'
"The explanation of my having found it is that we are
leaving Princeton and I have been through my packages
of old letters and literary treasures and here is this one.
I hope that you will appreciate it half as much as I do
and (like me) wonder that you ever wrote anything so
good.
"C. C. N."
(From the Albany Evening Journal, Nov. 23, 1853.)
"THANKSGIVING DAY
"Twenty-two States are to dine together tomorrow.
The invitations have been out for a month. The dinner
is given in honour of Connecticut, the oldest invited guest,
who sits down to the anniversary feast for the hundred
and fifty-fifth time. The table will be three thousand
miles long — so there is sure to be room. New Hamp*
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94 ^ A Thanksgiving Relic
shire has agreed to preside, at the upper end, in a huge
granite chair. The clergy of the Union will say grace
two hours beforehand. Thirty-six thousand church bells
have been arranged to chime the music. The viands will
be various to suit aU tastes — from ice at the upper end,
to wines and fruits at the lower. But the majority of
the guests will probably make their dinner of roast turkey
and pumpkin pie, out of compliment to old Connecticut,
the foimder of the festival.
" It must be a pleasant sight for her to see the whole
family gathered around her table, with Uncle Sam, about
halfway down, in the midst of them. The old fellow is
pretty well in years now (seventy-eight last July) but
still hale and hearty, thanks to an excellent constitution.
Virginia, his eldest daughter (a well-meaning person,
though with a deal of family pride, and very much given
to talking about her son 'George,' for which, however,
nobody can blame her), will have a seat at his right hand.
Texas, a rough-and-ready sort of backwoodsman, has a
place at the other end of the table, and will probably
contrive to sit very close to Lrouisiana, one of the youngest
and prettiest of the old gentleman's nieces. New York
will be there as long as he can spare time; but business on
'Change will probably call him away by the express train,
before dinner is over. Maine and South Carolina were
too impatient to wait, and so they have been already
accommodated at a side table. California (a stout little
fellow, of three years, who, his elder sisters vow, is worth
his weight in gold) is too young to come.
"Of course, there have been idle stories in circulation
about this family, as there are about all families, which
this Gathering will do much to dispel. Some, for instance,
have asserted that they were head over ears in debt, and
so near bankrupt that they could not afford sugar in their
tea. Uncle Sam will chuckle at them well when he pulls
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Albany Life 95
out a surpltis of $20,000,000 which he proposes to exhibit.
Others, again, have privately hinted that Mississippi has
applied for a divorce, and that she is going to run away
with a worthless adventiu^r. But her presence at the
dinner, smiling and contented, will pretty effectually stop
that gossip. Others again, pretend that there is a deadly
quarrel between New York, Virginia, Massachusetts,
and two or three others. But you will see that they will
be shaking hands over the dinner table before simdown.
"The old folks will take great pleasure in talking over
the days when they were young, and all thirteen of them
lived together — down on the seashore. The young ones
will, of course, be full of a thousand visionary schemes by
which they think they are going to make a great noise
in the world by and by. But, at any rate, they will all
be the better for the old tales that will be told, the old
jokes that will be made, and the old songs that will be
sung, until late in the evening, when Hope and Memory
(two old servants of this family who have done more to
keep it together than any amotmt of compromises could)
will light them all up to bed, and supply them with the
material for their Thanksgiving dreams."
Albany Life. Albany is proverbial for its hospitality
— ^an inheritance from its old Dutch founders. Its im-
portance as the State capital and a political centre drew
to it, every winter, many persons of public distinction,
and families of culture and refinement. My residence
there was a pleasant one, and when I look back at it now,
there come up memories of acquaintances that ripened
into lifelong friendships, and events that it is a renewed
pleasure to recall.
At an evening party there I met a yoimg lady just
entering society, whose home was near the well-remembered
scenes of " Kane's Walk." Talk of youthful remembrances
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96 An Albany Concert
and congenial tastes soon led to mutual regard; and a
year later, this resulted in our marriage — a, union which
has proved the chief element of my life's happiness — ^and
which has long transcended the "Silver" and "Golden
Wedding" anniversaries, both of which so many hope
for, and so few attain.
Daily observation and contact with the workings of
the State government doubtless inspired the young men
of Albany with more than ordinary interest in public
affairs. I found my contemporaries alive to questions
of State and national progress, ardent reformers, zealous
for good citizenship; and yet with less of partisan bitter-
ness than is often found in more isolated communities.
My association with them, as well as my daily news-
paper work, served to keep me in touch with public opin-
ion, and to increase my faith in the belief that the world
was gradually progressing. They honoured me with
their confidence, choosing me to be their spokesman, or
presiding officer, on occasions of importance, among them
the demonstrations of S3rmpathy with European struggles
for liberty, the welcoming of Kossuth, the founding of
the University and its branches, and the preliminary
steps toward the formation of the Republican party.
An Albany Concert In those dajrs, concerts and lec-
tures were favourite amusements for Albany society.
The list of lectiu'ers comprised such names as Wendell
Phillips, Henry Ward Beecher, Dr. Bethune, George
William Curtis, George Sumner, Judge William Kent,
John P. Hale, and others well known to fame.
Among the concerts were those of the Hutchinsons,
Dempster, Madame Bishop, Eliza Greenfield (the "Black
Swan"), the Swiss Bellringers, Parodi, Piccolomini, and
other operatic stars.
One of these concerts was a notable one. Strakosch
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An Albany Concert 97
and his wife, who was Amalia Patti, had brought with
them little ten-year-old Adelina Patti, with her wonderful
voice. Ole Bull was also of the troupe.
Association Hall was packed with a great audience.
All went well until about the middle of the evening
when some hitch occurred. There was a long wait.
Excited voices were heard from the little greenroom, just
off the stage, apparently in dispute and remonstrance.
After a while Ole Bull came out, and intimating there
would be some delay, said that if the audience would
permit, he would play something of his own, which was
not on the program. Of course the audience approved.
Remarking simply that it was a dialogue between a
young Venetian husband and his wife, on their way to
the Carnival, he raised his violin to his shoulder.
The violin began softly, with the familiar strains of the
Carnival of Venice^ and then, with endless variations on
that theme, proceeded to tell the story. We heard the
young couple gaily chatting and laughing. The husband
hummed a dancing tune, and the wife skipped along as
an accompaniment. Then they united in a love song.
Presently something was said that gave offence. There
was a sharp rebuke. His tones became abrupt and gruff.
Hers were shrill and defiant. The quarrel went on louder
and louder. He scolded. She mocked and sneered.
He stormed and swore. She wept and wailed and sobbed.
But now they are at the door of the cathedral. The organ
notes come pealing forth. They drop their voices. He
softens his tones. She begins to plead and coax. Recon-
ciliation and forgiveness follow. They enter the doorway
and join in the Jubilate chorus that comes down from
the choir above.
Suddenly the music stops. Ole Bull is making a bow
and retiring.
We of the audience sit silent. Then presently we awake
7
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98 Kossuth at Albany
to a realizing sense that we have been listening to an
entirely imaginary scene. There is no quarrel. There
is no young couple — ^no Venice. The witchery of the
violin has conjured up the whole scene before our eyes
and ears. Now the spell is broken. Next moment we
are all laughing at each other, and applauding Ole
Bull.
Then Ole Bull caps the climax by leading out the Uttle
girl — ^her eyes red with crying, but smiling through her
tears, and ready to sing sweetly the little aria which had
been assigned to her.
Next morning, Strakosch came round to the Journal
ojfBce and we congratulated him on the artistic triumph
of the night before.
"Yes," he said, "but think of the trouble I was in.
That little d [he did not say "diva"] refused to sing
unless she had a pound of candy. I had provided none.
I rushed downstairs and out into the street to look for a
confectionery shop. It was after nine o'clock and all
were closed. Finally, on a side street I found an old
confectioner, who lived over his shop. I persuaded him
to come down and sell me a potmd. Then I ran back, and
fotmd how good Ole Bull had saved the situation."
Kossuth at Albany. Bells are ringing, whistles blowing
and cannon booming. Flags are fl3dng over streets and
buildings. Among them otu* national colours predominate
but here and there are also the Hungarian tricolour and
the Tiu-kish crescent. As we stand on the dock at East
Albany and look across the river, the city seems to be in
gala attire. His honour, the Mayor, with local dignita-
ries and leading citizens, are gathered in a group that is
awaiting the arrival of the train bringing the great Hun-
garian. Behind them are the young men of the "Hunga-
rian Liberty Association," of which I am the President,
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Kossuth at Albany 99
William Bames the Treasurer, and Rabbi Wise the
Chaplain.
The train rolls in, and is greeted with cheers; Kossuth
presents himself, and descends from it. He looks digni-
fied and impressive, with iron grey hair and full beard,
as he bows courteously to the crowd. He holds in his
hand the broad-brinmied soft hat, which is already the
symbol of European revolutionists, and which is to be-
come shortly the fashionable headgear in America, and
is known as the ''Kossuth hat."
Some of his companions or staJff oflBcers wear a feather
or a bit of gold braid on it, and in their costume are indi-
cations of military rank, but most of them are in ordinary
civilian dress.
Interchange of greetings and introductions follow.
Then all cross the river in a ferryboat. Landing near
the Delavan House, we find an improvised procession
waiting to escort him up State Street to the Capitol Hill.
A crowd is gathered there also — too numerous to allow
all to enter the building. So Governor Hunt comes out
to the top of the broad steps, and gives his address of
welcome, which receives suitable response.
The national guest is lodged at Congress Hall, just
adjoining the Capitol. After paying my respects to him
and his companions, I visit a parlour where the represen-
tatives of "the Press" are gathered. There I meet
several acquaintances, among them James W. Simonton
of the Times (and afterward head of the Associated Press).
There is a busy rustling of pens and paper as they are
preparing their notes of the day's proceedings. Two or
three of them tell me that they are accompanying the
"Governor," as they call him, in his whole tour through
the States. They share in the popular enthusiasm, which
they are so busily engaged in creating, and speak of him
in terms of warm affection, recotmting instances of his
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100 Kossuth at Albany
tact, address, and fascinating eloquence. He is always
aSable, yet on the whole his manner is grave and sad,
as it well may be, after his experience of the rise and fall
of "the Hungarian republic."
Our American people have alwajrs been interested and
warmly sjmipathetic with any European nation which
they believe to be struggling against despotism; and
especially if it announces its desire for republican govern-
ment. The Greeks, the Poles, the French, the Italians,
the Spanish have, in ttim, received demonstrations of our
sympathy, and some of our more impulsive leaders have
urged us to go to war in their behalf.
Of Hungary and the Hungarians we had known but
little, until the wave of revolutionary outbreaks began to
sweep over the continental nations in 1848. But now the
newspapers and speakers are eagerly read or Ustened to,
when they try to familiarize us with hitherto imknown
localities and unpronounceable names. They awaken
our admiration for military heroes and eloquent orators,
who, like ourselves, are advocating "Freedom."
Kossuth's romantic story and his unavailing struggle
against the Austrian and Russian Empires appealed
strongly to the people of the United States. His imprison-
ment, escape and exile, the refuge and shelter afforded
him by the Turks, his rescue and voyage to us in an Ameri-
can frigate, the popular outburst of welcome that greeted
him in New York and other cities, the honours extended
to him at Washington and the State capitals, have carried
the popular enthusiasm to fever heat, and he is the hero
of the hour.
Even after the Hungarian Republic had become a dream
of the past, and the Hungarians had divided into varying
political groups, finding peace at last tmder the Iron Crown
of the Dual Empire, a permanent impress had been made
upon America by Kossuth's visit and his eventful tour
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Kossuth at Albany *i6i
and his appeals for "material aid" for Htingary. Hun-
garian hats, Hungarian wine, Hungarian bands, Hungarian
music and dances began to come in vogue. Himgarian his-
tory is to be studied. A steady flow of Hungarian im-
migration has set in, which still continues and is adding
to our complex nationality, which absorbs and assimilates
so many diverse elements.
In his subsequent visits to Albany, although there is
no longer such a rush to see him, yet the desire to hear
him is unabated. Halls and churches are crowded when
he is to speak. Our society gives him a welcome in the
Young Men's Association Rooms. The tickets of admis-
sion are little red, white, and green cards, the Himgarian
tricolour. All these are sold, and several thousand dol-
lars are raised as a contribution to the fimd for "mate-
rial aid" for the revolutionists.
He is singularly fluent, with hardly a trace of accent,
though occasionally a quaint idiom or phrase reminds the
hearer of his foreign birth, or his Shakespearian studies.
He is ready and effective in illustration. At one meeting
he was repelling the charge that he was the arch-agitator and
responsible for all these revolutionary outbreaks in Europe.
"No," said he, turning toward the great clock that hung
on the wall behind him. "No, I am only like yonder
clock. I tell the hour; I make not the time."
Since 1848, European affairs had been arresting Ameri-
can attention. Now the news of Louis Napoleon's coup
d'Stat, its details, and its probable results are eagerly
studied. Kossuth is felt to be a representative of Euro-
pean republicans, and the demonstrations in his honour
are expressive, not merely of sympathy for the Hunga-
rians, but of protest against despotism everywhere.
In April, after a trip to the South, he returns to Wash-
ington. A letter from my mother to her sister describes his
social experiences, and a visit with him to Moimt Vernon.
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i62 ' Kossuth at Albany
At that period, the neglected grounds and dilapidated
buildings and fences there were beginning to call for
public attention, but no governmental action had yet
been taken for their preservation.
" Washington, 17th April, 1852.
"The Kossuths have come and gone. When they left
us before, Kossuth was the orator who won our hearts
by his genius. He was surrounded with a large suite of
followers, who seemed to regard him as a superior being.
He had hope and confidence in the professions of men who
had power to assist him. His rich habiliments attracted
the gaze of the multitude. He was going to make new
friends.
"He returns from the South where he has met little
favour, to the politicians of Washington whose favour has
grown cold, with his hopes diminished, his followers re-
duced from seventeen to four, his own dress even changed
with the change of his prospects. The Kossuth who has
left us today is a gentle, brave man who will toil on for
Htmgary.
"Monday Evening.
" Mesdames Kossuth and Pulszky came to see us. They
said they had thought a great deal about us while at the
South and Madame Pulszky added in a whisper, *We
think you are right about slavery. '
"Thursday evening was our dinner. We had, as usual,
a singular combination of ultra-Southern men, 'Pree-
Soilers,' and Democratic members of Congress. Messrs.
Mangum and Hale of the Senate, Mr. Fisher, editor of
the Southern Press, Mr. Morehead, of North Carolina,
and New York members. A very sociable time they
had.
"Kossuth sat on my right and Mr. Morehead on my
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Kossuth at Albany 103
left. Kossuth did not talk much, and when he did ad-
dressed his conversation chiefly to me. Mr. Fisher, who
is called a *distinionist, ' said, across the table, 'Governor
Kossuth, don't you think that some portion of the human
family is decidedly inferior to the others?"
"Kossuth replied with his usual gentle gravity: *K
that is the case, I think it should teach us humility, and
make us more strenuous in our endeavotirs to assist the
weaker portion. '
" Mr. Fisher then alluded to the African race.
"Kossuth disclaimed any particular allusion to them,
but said he spoke for the oppressed generally.
" It was nearly eleven o'clock when our guests departed,
previous to which Henry had arranged that we and Mr.
Fisher should accompany the Governor to Mount Vernon
the next day.
" So at nine o'clock we all met on the wharf with nearly
a hundred other persons going in the same direction.
Madame Pulszky, who is a very charming person, was not
well enough to go. Madame Kossuth summoned up reso-
lution to go without her interpreter. I was glad to see
her once alone. She has learned a little, very little,
English, which with the Uttle French I could command
enabled us to have some conversation. She looked very
pretty with her white muslin bonnet and green veil.
"We soon arrived at Mount Vernon. Mr. Fisher went
up to the house to propitiate the proprietor, while we went
to the tomb. Kossuth took the arm of his wife and went
with her to the door of the vault.
"They were considerably in advance of us, and when
we came up, they were both coming away, with tears
streaming from their eyes. Madame was more excited
than I had ever seen her. She caught me by the arm and
hurried me back to the tomb talking French with great
earnestness. 'It is trhs triste,* as Madame said. 'It is
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104 Kossuth at Albany
a shame/ said a rough-looking young man, 'to leave him
in such a place. '
"They invited our party to one room in the house
which is not generally open to visitors. It contains the
Ubrary of Washington, a plaster bust, and some family
pictures. Washington's large Bible was on the table.
The books were mixed up with many others of modem
date. I could not but remark that most of the old Ubrary
was the coimterpart of our father's.
"It seemed difficult for Kossuth to make up his mind
to go, but again the bell summoned us to the boat, and
we joined the other passengers.
"Thomas, who had all this time been perambulating
the grounds with a basket of provisions which we brought
from home, now spread some napkins on some chairs and
produced the cold ducks, bread and butter, oranges, and
champagne. As there were only plates sufl5cient for
the ladies, Kossuth, Henry, and Mr. Fisher took theirs in
their fingers, so we made a picnic. We were joined in
this by yoimg Calhoim, son of John C. Calhoun, a very
gentlemanly and agreeable person, who was one of the
passengers.
"Had not the Kossuth party absorbed us so much,
we should have f otmd other interesting company. There
was Dr. Bellows of New York, and his sister, and Grace
Greenwood. We parted at the wharf intending to go and
see Madame Pulszky in the evening.
"We went to the National in the evening. Pound
Kossuth had gone out with the intention of coming to
our house. I took my leave, promising to go to the cars
this morning to say * good-bye.'
"Madame Pulszky was still too ill to travel, I thought,
but we fotmd her at the depot this morning looking very
ill, but going on, notwithstanding.
"We had only time to take a hurried leave, a kiss from
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The Fugitive Slave Law 105
the ladies and a warm grasp of the hand from the gentle-
men, and they were gone. When and where, if ever, shall
we meet again?
" Mrs, Horace Mann, who had walked over to the depot
with her little boys, was the only other person who came
to pay them the compliment of taking leave.*'
The Fugitive Slave Law. ''The Slavery Question is
settled!" Upon this the majority of each of the two
great parties seemed agreed in 1851. Flags were hoisted,
salutes fired, and meetings held in the large cities, where
orators vied with dnuns and guns in loud congratulations.
That the slavery question, which had threatened to
disturb the national peace, was finally laid at rest many
believed; and many more who did not believe, deemed it
politic and prudent to affect that they did. Engravings
and biographies were published, testifying public grati-
tude to the great patriotic "men who had saved the
Union." Histories were written detailing how the great
peril of distmion, imminent in 1851, was, in that year, by
Congressional wisdom, happily ended for ever. Some of
these volumes, still extant, were for years used in schools,
teaching the boys lessons that they afterwards tmleamed
at the point of the bayonet.
The Fugitive Slave Law was put in force, and announced
to be "a law of the land, to which every good citizen owes
obedience." Hardly was the ink dry with which it had
been signed, when slaveholders on the border who knew
the whereabouts of their former "chattels" began to
invoke its aid for their recaptiue.
If the statesmen who adopted the Fugitive Slave Law
as a panacea to repress the "agitation of slavery" had
been seeking, instead, for one to inflame that "agitation"
to its highest pitch, they could hardly have found a more
effective instrument. It went through the land like the
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io6 The Fugitive Slave Law
flaming war torch of the Highlands, summoning clansmen
to battle. It roused even the apathetic and lukewarm.
They might ignore slavery in distant territories, but here
was a command to personally become slave catchers.
It brought the slavery question home to every Northern
hearthstone. Clergymen and lawyers who counselled
"obedience to the law because it was a law" did not feel
enthusiasm when called upon to take a hand in its enforce-
ment. It was one thing to tacitly acquiesce in slavery as
an inheritance from Biblical times and the mother country,
and quite another to join in the chase with bloodhotmds.
It was one thing to stand and declaim about the "Com-
promises of the Constitution," and quite another to deny
the prayer of the trembling fugitive at the door for food,
shelter, and escape. But the "Great Peace Measure"
was relentless on this point. It commanded "every good
citizen" to assist the deputy marshal in his slave catching
whenever called upon, and imposed fine and imprisonment
on him who refused to obey.
Experience of the working of the Fugitive Slave Law
was the first thing that opened the eyes of many to the
discovery that possibly Governor Seward might be right
in thinking there was some "higher law" to be obeyed
than this brutal statute.
Soon there was a fugitive slave case in New York, in
which the poor man was seized while at work at his trade,
hurried into a back room, tried in haste, delivered to the
agent, handcuffed, and carried off to Baltimore, without
opportunity even to say good-bye to his wife and children.
There was a similar case in Philadelphia, and another
in Indiana.
Then came the spectacle of Henry Long, a captured
fugitive, marched down to Jersey City ferry, under guard
of two hundred policemen, amid a crowd of thousands.
Ten days later it was annotmced that he had been
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The Fugitive Slave Law 107
"sold at auction in Richmond for $750, to a Georgia
trader, to be taken farther South," and that "there was
great applause" at the sale.
In another case in Philadelphia, a woman who had been
twenty-two years free, and had five children, was arrested
as a fugitive slave.
At Columbia, in Pennsylvania, William Smith was
seized as a fugitive, and while endeavouring to escape was
shot, dying instantly.
A kidnapper seized a free coloured girl in Nottingham
and carried her oflF to a Baltimore slave pen. A coloured
man who went on there to testify to her having been bom
free and to her never having been a slave was found next
day hanging dead, on a tree by the roadside.
But of all these cases, none stirred the popular heart
more deeply than those in which the national administra-
tion took a hand to enforce the obnoxious law. At
Boston, Shadrach, a coloiu^d waiter, was seized, taken
before the commissioner, and duly remanded to custody,
when a crowd of coloured men rescued him, and sent him
off to Canada.
Thereupon the President issued a proclamation, com-
manding all public oflBcers and calling on all citizens to
"aid in quelling this and similar combinations," and to
"assist in capturing the above-named persons," in which
business the Secretaries of War and of the Navy directed
the army and navy to help.
Later came the case of Sims, who, though defended by
some of the best legal talent in Boston, was surrendered
to his master, marched to the Long Wharf, in a hollow
square of three hundred armed policemen, while the militia
were posted in Paneuil Hall, chains stretched across the
front of the State House, and the church bells tolled as
for a funeral.
Then there was the romantic story of William and Ellen
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io8 The Fugitive Slave Law
Craft, escaped slaves from Georgia. Ellen, whose com-
plexion was light, had dressed herself to personate a young
planter, going north for his health, attended by William,
who personated a family servant, greatly devoted to his
young master. When the slave catchers tracked them
to Boston, Rev. Theodore Parker gave them refuge in
his house. He said: " For two weeks I wrote my sermons
with a sword in the open drawer tmder my inkstand, and
a pistol in the flap of my desk, loaded and ready for de-
fence, imtil they could be put on board a vessel for Eng-
land."
There was a case in Chicago, another at Poughkeepsie^
another at Westchester, and another at Wilkesbarre, each
attended with circtunstances that awakened popular
detestation of what the newspapers called "Man Htmting
on the Border."
At Buffalo, Judge Conkling granted a writ of habeas
corpus to an alleged fugitive. His counsel, Talcott and
Hawley, moved his discharge for lack of evidence. It
was granted, and in a few moments he was on his way to
Canada.
At S3rracuse, Jerry McHenry was seized and carried
before the commissioner, but a crowd surroimded the
court-room, broke in the doors, rushed in, overpowered
the oflScers, and rescued the prisoner. Among those who
participated in this riot were Gerrit Smith, Rev. Samuel
J. May, and other leading citizens. Eighteen of them
were indicted, and summoned to appear at Auburn to
answer for their offence. They were escorted by a himd-
red of the prominent people of the place. Being required
to give sureties, my father headed tJie list, which was soon
filled with well-known names.
At Christiania, in Pennsylvania, when the oflBcers and
slaveowner, with the commissioner's warrant, came to a
house where a fugitive was concealed, they fired into it.
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The Fugitive Slave Law 109
The fire was returned, the owner killed, his companions
put to flight, and the fugitive escaped.
The news of these seizures and conflicts alarmed all
fugitives, some of whom had been residing for years in
supposed security in the free States. Canada was the
only place of refuge, and they began to pour into it. They
crossed at Detroit, and at Niagara, and at Ogdensburg.
Of those in New England, some went up through Vermont,
some fled to Maine and crossed over into New Brunswick.
Settlements spnmg up in Canada, composed of negroes
escaped from slavery. The one at Chatham was espe-
cially well known, and was a favourite point for those who
fled from Kentucky, through Ohio and Michigan.
It is to the credit of human nature, that few men were
zealous in executing the Fugitive Slave Law, except those
who were paid for it. Even those who thought it ought
to be obeyed did not hiury themselves to obey it. Many
such would give food and shelter to a casual coloured man,
and even point out the road leading north, while prudently
refraining from asking any questions that might prove
embarrassing to both parties. Others devoted time and
money to help the fugitives. Free coloured people in
the Northern cities were especially active in this work.
The mysterious rapidity with which fugitive slaves
were smuggled through the States and "across the line"
soon gained for the system the name of " The Underground
Railroad." The passengers on that road increased every
month; and its managers devised new facilities for travel.
A poor wretch, with his little bundle, knowing Nothing
of his route, save that he must hide by day, and follow
the north star by night, would find himself urged and
helped forward by friendly hands, until he stood, without
knowing how, on British soil.
Sometimes they came in squads of four or five, or even
a dozen. Stories almost incredible were told. One man
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escaped in a hogshead. One woman had come on in a
box, and was nearly suffocated when it was piled among
the merchandise on a wharf. One had come in the straw
of a farm wagon ; another by hanging on underneath the
cars; several in the holds of coasting vessels. But the
majority had fled on foot, looking hourly behind them for
the master and his hounds, and before them for the north
star and liberty.
As the Evening Journal was the chief anti-slavery paper
at the capital, we had many visitors and appeals for aid
from " the Underground." Stephen Myers was a coloured
man of some prominence, having been head waiter at the
Executive Mansion, and chief steward on Hudson River
steamboats. He was a frequent caller.
One morning he slipped in mysteriously, and asked
George Dawson and me to step out into the back passage-
way of the office. There we f oimd a dozen or more young
coloured men, "lined up" against the wall. "These,"
said Stephen, pointing to them with pride, "all comes on
last night, and all goes on to Canady this morning."
Dawson, with mock seriousness, said: "Oh, boys, now
don't you think you'd better all go back?"
The grin of white teeth that flashed down the line
showed that their perils had not dulled their sense of
humour.
One evening as I sat alone at work, in the editorial room,
a tall, ragged black man came softly in, and holding out
a dirty scrap of paper said: "Be this for you, Mas'r?"
I took it, and found it pencilled simply with the words:
"Help this poor fellow along. He has his ticket." It
was not signed, and was addressed merely to "Leonard,"
which someone reading it to him had mistaken for "Sew-
ard," and so had directed him to my oflBce. He was
very reluctant to tell anything about his antecedents or
his journey, but said "he was from Ole Virginny," where
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Van Zandt and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in
''some men'' had put him on a boat, in which he came
to New York. There "some more men" put him on
another boat, in which he came to Albany. I told him
I would show him the railroad station.
"No, 'fore God, Mas'r, don't take me to no railroad
here. Dey said dere might be marshalses watching at
the station, and that I was to walk sixteen mile, to some
place dey called Snackaday. Does yo' know de road to
Snackaday, Mas'r?"
I told him I would show him. So we walked up the
hill, stopping to get him a bite on the way, and he started
off on the Schenectady turnpike, which doubtless led to
his destination.
"Stephen," I inquired once of the Underground mana-
ger, "where do you get these contributions from? I
suppose you go to old Whigs and Republicans. Any
Democrats?"
"Why, Mr. Frederick," he answered, "some of the
Democrats is my best contributors. They don't ask no
questions neither, like Republicans does, about what I
does with the money. The Judge says he's willing to
help poor folks, but he don't want to hear no details."
"So the Judge contributes, does he? But I suppose
you don't go near the Deputy Marshal? It is his business
to arrest fugitives."
"That is just what he says to me, sir. He gave me a
five dollar bill, and told me to keep out of his sight. Yes,
sir, and I'se a-eaming that money."
Van Zandt and '^Uacle Tom's Cabin.'' John Van
Zandt, who lived not far from Cincinnati, was an old
farmer, poor and uneducated, but honest, worthy, and
benevolent. He had passed the earlier part of his life
in Kentucky; and from what he had seen and heard there,
had become a hearty hater of slavery.
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112 Van Zandt and "Uncle Tom's Cabin''
The Ohio River was well understood by slaves to be
the dividing line between bondage and freedom; and many
were led to cross that barrier by opportunity, courage, or
despair. When any ragged trembling fugitive knocked
at John Van Zandt's door, it was not in John Van Zandt's
heart to refuse him food, shelter, and help on his way to
Canada.
One night in April, 1842, nine poor wretches risked their
lives in an attempt at liberty. Among them were a
husband and wife, and three small children. They got
across the river and as far as Walnut Hill, two miles
beyond. Here they were met by John Van Zandt. He
had been to the Cincinnati market, with a wagon load
of farm produce, and was returning home. He heard
their story, pitied them, told them to get into his now
empty wagon, and decided to try to carry them toward
Lebanon. At three o'clock in the morning the horses'
heads were turned northward. One of the fugitives, who
could drive, was intrusted with the reins; and the other
eight huddled together in the wagon.
But there was money to be made on the highways, in
those days in Ohio, and plenty of enterprising knaves
ready to turn slave catchers. Early in the morning a
gang of this class met the wagon, about fourteen miles
north of Cincinnati. They knew nothing; suspected
everything. They were armed, and they at once seized
and stopped the horses. Andrew, the driver, had just
time to jump and run. The others were obliged to sur-
render at discretion. Before long they were travelling
back to slavery.
A futile attempt was made to punish the slave catchers,
by indicting them for kidnapping. But public sentiment
was on their side, and they walked out of court with the
proud consciousness that they had "upheld the Constitu-
tion and laws," and made $450 by it.
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Van Zandt and ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'* 113
Eight slaves had been recovered, but one had escaped.
That "pound of flesh" was now to be exacted through
the courts of the United States. Andrew's owner, Whar-
ton Jones by name, brought suit against John Van Zandt.
Sahnon P. Chase became Van Zandt's counsel. The
case was tried before Judge McLean, at Cincinnati, in
July, 1842. The jury brought in a verdict against Van
Zandt for $1200 damages. A like verdict was rendered
against him for $500 more, the penalty for violating the
Fugitive Law of 1793.
Motion was made for a new trial and arrest of judg-
ment. The judges of the Circuit Court were divided in
opinion upon questions stated in the argument, and the
cause was carried to the Supreme Court of the United
States.
Van Zandt was poor, and could not meet the cost of the
trial. But the case had begun to attract some attention,
and a small amount was contributed by friends, though
it proved not enough to cover the actual expenses of the
case. My father was solicited to take part in conducting
it, and cheerfully assented. Both he and Chase gave their
services without compensation.
In their arguments before the court, they took the
ground that the law of 1793 was in conflict with the Or-
dinance of 1787 under which Ohio was organized, and
which enacted that slavery or involuntary servitude should
never exist there. They held that the slave law was, so
far as it affected the questions before the court, unconsti-
tutional and void.
With their usual grave del'beration the judges took the
case under consideration. But when the decision was
finally promulgated, it was against Van Zandt. Judg-
ment for the penalty was entered against him in the court
below. Impoverished and embarrassed by the long liti-
gation, he never recovered from its effects. He died a few
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114 Van Zandt and ** Uncle Tom's Cabin''
years later, probably without ever dreaming that the
whole system of law under which he suffered would so
soon be swept from the statute book.
When the "Compromise Measures" of 1850 were
adopted by Congress, both the great parties formally
gave them their approval in conventions, and the general
public, weary of the long debate, acquiesced in them as
being, however distasteful, at least a settlement of the
long-standing controversy over slavery. Most of Jthe
measures were regarded with apathy if not approval,
and with the hope of future peace between North and
South.
But there was one of them that speedily dispelled any
such illusion. That was the new Fugitive Slave Law,
It added new pains and penalties to the law of 1793, al-
ready drastic enough; and it practically required every
citizen to become a slave catcher, when called upon.
Naturally, it raised a storm of indignation among the
Northern people. Press and pulpit joined in denouncing
it. Meetings were held to express abhorrence. Orators
like Wendell Phillips anathematized it, and even the
peaceful "Quaker poet" Whittier made it the theme of
his impassioned verse.
[ Dr. Bailey, the editor of the National Era, an anti-
slavery paper at Washington, of course devoted many
columns to the subject. He asked Mrs. Harriet Beecher
Stowe, already well-known in literary circles, to write
something for the Era.
The theme was one that appealed to her sympathies.
Her residence in Cincinnati had given her an insight into
life in the slave States, in contrast with the free ones.
Accordingly she contributed a story about fugitive slaves,
basing some of the scenes and incidents upon those of the
Van Zandt case, and others upon those of the life of Josiah
Henson. In the story she portrayed Van Zandt as " Hon-
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A Village of Louis XIV.'s Time 115
est old John Van Trompe " and Uncle Si Henson as " Uncle
Tom." The first chapters awakened interest, and created
a demand for more. So Uncle Tom's Cabin was evolved,
nmning serially in the Era for several months of 1851
and 1852.
Then it was published in book form in Boston. Among
its earliest readers, of cotirse, were Mr. Chase and my
father. The former, as he laid down the volume, said:
"That book is Van Zandt's best monument."
The publishers found the demand for the new novel
steadily and rapidly growing. Every new phase of the
political conflict over slavery added to the number of its
readers. Soon it was read and talked of through all the
North, and at last it began to be realized by the public
that there was a romance destined to have world-wide
fame, and to exert an influence upon history.
1857.
A Tallage of Lotiis XIV/s Time. We are lying be-
calmed in the August sunshine, off the Isle d*0rl6ans in
the river St. Lawrence, which here begins to broaden out
to the dimensions of an inland sea. Our craft is the
schooner Etnerence, of Quebec, commanded by Captain
Couillard de Beaumont.
Until quite recently she was a fishing schooner, but is
now promoted to the dignity of a gentleman's yacht.
Under the judicious direction of our friend, Mr. Duns-
comb, the Collector of the Port, she has been scrubbed up,
repaired, partially painted, and fully equipped, manned,
and provisioned for a voyage to Anticosti and Labrador.
She is rated at thirty tons — ^not much, but Columbus
discovered a New World in a vessel not much larger.
She flies the British flag and has no other. She pos-
sesses a compass, but no sextant or chronometer, her
officers not being familiar with scientific navigation, but
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ii6 A Village of Louis XIV/s Time
depending on their native powers of observation to ascer-
tain their position and reckoning.
The crew consists of three, who share the work about
equally between them. They are M. le Capitaine, M.
Pilot, and cet homme. The latter is the one who is al-
ways to blame, when anything is lost or goes wrong. As
the Emerence has no cargo, they occupy the hold for their
quarters. With them is John, the cook, who presides
at the galley. He is able to fry the fish we catch, and to
supplement them with slapjacks.
In the cabin there are three of us, my father, my wife,
and myself. The cabin is only twelve feet square, with
four berths in it. A table, a lamp, some camp-stools,
comprise the rest of the furniture, and there is room for
no more. As the cabin has no windows, but gets air and
light only from the hatchway, most of our time is spent
on deck.
Here we sit, chatting or reading, or studying the shore
through the telescope lent us by the collector, with the
help of the charts of the British Admiralty.
The shore is a puzzling one. It does not seem to have
towns, with stretches of farm lands between, as one might
expect, but rather looks like one long line of little white
houses, now and then thickening up around each church
spire. Our sailors tell us of their names. Here is St.
Valier, yonder is St. Michel, farther on is St. Pierre, and
Jargest of all is St. Thomas.
We decide to go ashore to inspect. M. le Capitaine
and M. Pilot lower the boat and take the oars. Cet
homme remains on board to watch the schooner.
Arrived at the wharf, the puzzle begins to unravel itself.
There is one long road, or street, or boialevard, running
through all the villages. Along this road stand the farm-
houses at intervals of perhaps one hundred to two hundred
feet.
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A Village of Louis XIV/s Time 117
But these long and narrow farms have a unique advan-
tage. The family in each house enjoy the privileges of
living both in the town and in the country at the same
time. The owner may step out of his back door and walk
a mile or two over his own domain, through his gardens,
his fields, and his woods. Or, if he steps out of his front
door, he is at once in town, within call of his neighbours,
and within easy walking distance of shops, stores, oflBces,
church, and school. His front windows look out upon
the boulevard and the river. His back windows com-
mand an tmbroken landscape, all the way back to the
motintains.
Surely it was French ingenuity and taste that
devised this simple plan of living at once en ville and
d la campagnel
A qtiaint, old-fashioned inn, that looks as if it might
have been transported bodily from Normandy, is near
at hand. In the open doorway sits a comfortable looking
dame, engaged in knitting, whose smile of welcome as
we approach intimates that she is the hostess.
In reply to our inquiry, she responds in the tongue of
the seventeenth century that assuredly we may have din-
ner, and fortunately it is at present the very hour.
A glance into the spacious apartment, which is at once
parlour, dining-room, and kitchen, shows us the pot-au-feu
simmering in the great stone fireplace, and the table
spread in front of it. Few modem hotels have such con-
veniences for dining, and so close at hand. Under the
windows the fruits and vegetables are growing, beyond
is the well and the poultry yard, and beyond that is the
St. Lawrence, stocked with the finest of fish.
When our repast of rural luxuries is finished, we inquire
if any conveyance can be had for a drive. Madame
thinks not. But yes, she has a nephew, a farmer living
near, who has a horse which is old, but safe, and a cabri-
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ii8 A Village of Louis XIV.'s Time
olet, which is so, also, and will enable tis to view the
voisinage. He shall be sent for.
This is done, and presently Pierre appears, with the
reliable vehicle. He takes us up and down the road, and
proves a cheerful and voluble conductor.
It is like one continuous village. Its different portions
are named from their respective churches, but apparently
there are no dividing lines to show how far each Saint
claims jurisdiction. Pierre knows all the houses, and the
names of their occupants — some of whom salute us from
their vine-dad doorways.
Yes, he and all the rest of them were bom here. Is
there work for all ? Work — plenty of it, that goes without
saying. He himself cultivates his terrain. His brother
Auguste owns the schooner, which carries the produce and
the fish to the market at Quebec. Others have their
farms, their shops and offices.
How about amusements? "Oh, at evening, all the
world amuses itself after its own fashion. As may be
seen, we live near our neighbours. We meet, we eat a
little, drink a little. We sing, we dance, we play at games,
we talk politique and hurrah for Papineau!"
"Doubtless," he adds, "Madame and the Messieurs
would like to see the church ? It is open all days, and the
good Cur6 will be pleased to show it to them. A fine
man — though he grows old, which is a pity."
So we call at his study. The good Cur6 comes out,
hospitably invites us to enter. He shows us the mediaeval-
looking edifice, its altarpiece, statues, windows, and deco-
rations, and tells us of their history, as well as that of the
settlement and its people.
In the time of Louis XIV. and Louis XV., these lands
were granted to great Seigneurs, who enjoyed favour at
Court. They held them, according to old French custom,
as lords and owners of the soil. They brought out from
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A Village of Louis XIV/s Time 119
France peasants and artisans to become their tenants.
The land was divided into these long, narrow farms, so as
to accommodate as many £is possible.
All that is now changed, of course. The land-titles
are now under the British common law. The inhabitants
have multiplied, and own their homes. Villages have
grown up. Manufactures and trade have come in. But
the old subdivisions, to a considerable extent, remain,
because they are found convenient, and sales are
few.
We tell the good Cur6 that it seems to us an ideal plan
for a rural conmiunity, and ask if the inhabitants appre-
ciate it.
"Ah, yes, le bon Dieu has given them pleasant homes,
and they are industrious, peaceable, and thrifty. We who
are old know this, and are content to spend our lives here.
But the young i)eople! What would you? They must
have change. They want to see the world and seek their
fortunes. They go to Quebec, and Montreal, perhaps to
Boston and New York, possibly to Paris, or to dig gold
in California."
And they come back? — "A few of them, but not
many."
Pierre then drives us on, past dwellings, shops, and ware-
houses, and pauses before the doors of the Female Semi-
nary, a modem building with modem improvements,
which is tmder the diarge of gentle-voiced, dark-robed
Sisters, having their chief house in Montreal.
They show us their airy and scmpialously neat rooms,
and call up some of the pupils to display their proficiency.
One bright-eyed girl surprises us by her brilliant rendering
of Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, accompanying herself
at the piano.
When we ask where she is from, she replies, "Boston."
The Sister placidly remarks: "Yes, we have many from
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120 Anticosti
the States, whose parents prefer our quiet ways and
healthful climate, and the kind of training the girls receive
here."
Our last visit is at a stately mansion, the simimer resi-
dence of Colonel Tacher, a member of the Royal Council,
whom we had previously met. He welcomes us with
courteous hospitality, and gives us further information
as to the origin and history of the province. When he
learns that our destination is ** Labrador," he laughingly
remarks that we are more venturesome than most Cana-
dians, in visiting that wild and far-away region, so little
known save for its fish and furs.
Once more on board the Emerence, we look back to
the scene of Arcadian simplicity we have just left. One
wonders that nobody has ever thought of adopting such
a plan for some one of the villages we are constantly
building in the United States. Our senior member says
that the explanation is not far to seek. ** These were
Frenchmen, and we are Americans. They inherit habits
that are the growth of centuries. We like to change ours
every year or two. Fifty years from now, many of their
characteristic traits will have passed away and they will
be like the rest of the world."
Anticosti. "Anticosti?" said the skipper, who was
our guest, setting down his glass of Jamaica rum and
water, **yes, I know it. Cruise all rotmd it. Bad coast.
Dangerous. Reefs and shallows everywhere."
"Not an easy place to get to, then?"
"It's a devilish sight easier to get to Anticosti, than it
is to get away from it. Squalls and cross currents some-
times get you ashore there before you know it. If
you're out for pleasure, you'd better give Anticosti a
wide berth."
"Anybody living there?"
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Anticosti 121
"Nobody but the people at the wrecking station.
They have to stay."
"What is the interior like?"
"Sort of wilderness or desert, I guess. The government
leases the island out, though, to folks who want to hunt
or fish there in summer. Lots of game there, they say,
and shoals of fish."
''Pretty good whaling ground in these waters, isn't it?
Two came up dose to our bows, one morning, and our
lookout yelled, thinking they woiald stave us in."
The captain of the whaler here joins in the dialogue.
"Why, I struck a fine one a week or so ago out here
a way, a big fellow, and then lost him,"
"How did that happen?"
"Sea was rough, and he ran away with so much of my
line that it looked like he'd pull us under. Had to cut
the line and let him go, and then had a two-mile pull back
to the ship. I calculate he's floating around dead some-
where, with my harpoon in him."
"Think you killed him?"
"I know I struck him good, and that harpoon's in him
yet. Somebody will pick him up."
"Who does he belong to, if he is found?"
"He'll belong to me, if I can get a sight at him, and
m prove it by my harpoon. If you happen to run across
him on your cruise, you'll know him by that."
This conversation takes place in August, 1857, at
Mingan in Labrador. A week later, we have bid adieu
to Labrador and its navigation and are slowly beating
our way, against a head wind, up the St. Lawrence toward
Quebec.
Four days elapse with the wind still "dead ahead.'*
Then suddenly it rises to a gale, and our captain decides
to put about, and run before it for a harbour.
We are swept back in an afternoon over the miles we
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122 Anticosti
had so tediously gained, until at 7 o*clock in the evening
we see before us a long blue line, which our seamen tell
us is the dreaded coast of Anticosti.
But the wind falls now, almost as suddenly as it arose,
and we are left in a dead calm. We are powerless to
reach an anchorage and have to lie outside all night,
rolling in a heavy ground swelL
In the morning the "head wind" rises again, but this
time very gently and softly. Captain Beaumont thinks
we may be able to get in far enough to find an anchor-
age, and to replenish our water cask and supply of wood
for the galley.
"Is there any harbour?"
"No good one, but this is Ellis Bay, which I know. It
is where they have the wrecking station. The Emerence
is light, with no cargo, and can make it."
So we let the wind blow us where it listeth. Evidently
we are to visit Anticosti, like some other folks, whether
we will or no. The wind carries us smoothly over the
quiet sea. The bay opens before us, broad and spa-
cious and shallow. Skilftd handling of helm and sails
take us between reefs and over bars, although the sandy
bottom sometimes seems to come perilously near our
keel.
We are still two miles from shore when Captain Beau-
mont thinks it prudent to drop anchor.
The scene looks wild and desolate. But there seems
to be another vessel already at anchor in the bay — a
schooner, rather larger than our own.
The bay is semicircular and broad, surrounded by a
sandy beach, interspersed here and there with jagged
rocks. The woods come nearly down to the water's edge.
Behind them rises a range of low hills.
We conclude to row over to the other schooner, and to
ask for some fresh cod, mackerel, or the like. On getting
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Anticosti 123
alongside, we accost the prominent person on board, and
ask him what his schooner is engaged in.
"I am a Jack-of-all-trades, sir," he answers, "confined
to no one thing."
"Are you an American?"
"No, I belong to the island."
"Fishing fcM: mackerel now, I suppose?"
"No, I am the lessee of the island. I set out last week
for Quebec, but on the way I fell in with a pretty large
whale, and he being too heavy for my boat to manage, I
towed him in here into shoal water, and am now cutting
him up and getting out the oil."
Sure enough, we can see a great, greyish mass lying
dose to the water's edge, and can discern figures of men
moving actively over it and hacking at it. A strong,
almost sickening greasy smell comes off from it, and the
smoke is rising from several fires along the beach.
As we row back, the lady member of our party remarks
that this is probably our friend Captain CoflBin's lost
whale. We dissent but she replies that the proprietor
of Anticosti took care to avoid daiming to have killed or
even fotmd the whale alive. But what do women know
about whaling?
A long pull across the bay brings''us"to the vicinity of
the stranded leviathan. He is sixty-five feet long — ten
feet longer than the Emerence. The extreme end of the
tail is seventeen feet wide. The odour of the oil infects
the atmosphere for a mile around it. A dozen persons
are cutting the "blubber" into small pieces, from which
the oil gushes out, and fills kettles, pots, and barrels.
Nothing is heard, seen, touched, or smelt of that is not
redolent of the great prize.
We land at a respectful distance from the whale's
carcass and endeavour to get "betwixt the wind and his
nobihty."
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124 Anticosti
There are wooden signs along the shore for the benefit
of castaways, which indicate the paths to the place of
refuge. This is not far distant. It is a neat, substantial,
but rough-looking wooden building, unpainted and without
any attempt at architectural decoration. It has a good
chimney, but otherwise might pass for a bam or shed.
The keeper, a Canadian Frenchman, is gratified to
find that we are not in distress, and need nothing, unless
we can get a good "shore dinner."
This he promises us, and says there is a room or two
in the station fitted up with simple fimiiture, which are
reserved for the use of hunters or visitors like ourselves.
We promptly avail ourselves of these. Even such
quarters look luxurious after the schooner's cabin. The
bare board walls have been covered by the Frenchman
with pages of the London Illustrated News, ingeniously
pasted on, so that the lodger Isring on the bed can see aU
the leading events of the world's history for the past year
or two, spread before him like a panorama.
Then we stroll out to look at the farm. There are fifty
acres — the only land reclaimed from nature on the island
of Anticosti. There is or was a potato crop, but it was
blighted by frost on August i8th.
There is a suggestive feature about the door of the
house. It is not near the groimd, but high up, and en-
trance to it is gained by a ladder. At night this ladder is
drawn up, to prevent incursions by bears, wolves, and
other midnight marauders.
There are other lodgers in the house besides ourselves.
The Frenchman refers to them as "the people upstairs"
but does not mention who they are. Occasionally a lady
appears in the balcony, or descends from it with her child-
ren, and we soon come to imderstand that she is a privi-
leged person.
At length tea-time comes. The lady from upstairs is
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Anticosti 125
introduced to us by the lessee of Anticosti as his wife,
and here the patroon and his family spend the summer.
He is a Scotchman, of pleasing address and well-informed.
His wife is agreeable and ladylike.
The conversation, of course, turns on the great prize.
We cautiously tell him how Captain CoflBn of Gasp6 had
called on us, at Mingan, to enquire about a whale that
he had killed and lost, and we laughingly remark that
some of us were simple enough to imagine that this might
possibly be Captain Coffin's whale.
He inquires the date of Captain Coflfin's report, about
the harpoon, etc., and very frankly and magnanimously
says: "Beyond a doubt this is the very whale that he
killed. We found it dead and horribly mangled by sharks. ' '
He has foimd nothing so far to show how it came to
its death, but perhaps he may yet find the harpoon.
In the course of the afternoon, the Frenchman informs
us that he is going lobster fishing and asks if we would
like to accompany him.
"Where are we to go?"
He points to a series of huge boulders in the water
near the opposite shore, about two miles off.
"Very well. How do we get there? Do we walk
roimd on the beach?"
"Oh, no,— ride."
"Do we row out?"
"Oh, no, we ride in a cart."
"Which road?"
"Right across through the water."
See us then, we two travellers, our host, and a driver,
embarked on the bay in a common cart, drawn by a strong,
square-built black horse. On he walks, splash — splash —
and we after him. He imderstands French well,' and
obeys all such commands as Allez done, and Marchez^
but pays no regard to English.
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126 Anticosti
At length we reach the fishing ground. Two great
seals are motinted on the rocks, like sentinels guarding
the entrance to the port. The Frenchman takes his stick,
to which is attached a codfish hook, and proceeds to ferret
out the lobsters in their retreats under the rocks. He
finds one or two under every rock. They cUng to the
stones, or whatever else ofiEers, so tenaciously that often
their claws break off. The horse wades from rock to rock
with patience, and in less than an hour we fill our basket
with two dozen.
Returning, we share our catch with the patroon's family,
and in return they supply us with mustard, oil, and vine-
gar for lobster salad, in which our ship stores are deficient.
We spend the evening pleasantly with Mr. Corbet and
his wife. He informs us further as to the tenure of his
"Seigneury." In Canada, successive provincial legisla-
tion, with the sanction of the Crown, has modified these
" Seigneuries," so that, in that region, they have now little
more than a nominal existence.
But the "Seigneuries" of Labrador and Anticosti still
remain. Those regions, not only being in a state of
nature, but there being no desire anjrwhere to colonize
them, because they are so inhospitable and barren, the
"Seigneury " is at present valuable only for the chase and
the fisheries; and it might be made so for mines, forests,
and minerals.
The "Seigneurs" (successors to the old grantees) are
understood to live at Quebec. They rent or assign all
their privileges to assignees for terms of years, at fixed
rates. The Hudson's Bay Company is the assignee of
Labrador. Mr. Corbet is the assignee of Anticosti. He
pays five htmdred dollars a year for the whole enjo3anent
of that domain one hundred and twenty miles long by
twenty broad, and he reimburses himself out of the fisher-
ies, chiefly salmon and seal, and the chase, principally of
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Anticosti 127
bears, sables, martens, foxes, etc. There is no government
there; but for political purposes the territory is subject
to the laws of Canada.
Mrs. Corbet inquires if we do not find the odour of
the whale almost unbearable, as she does.
But Mr. Corbet holds up his hands and smiles. He
says: "We are making money, my dear, making money.''
And so he undoubtedly is, this time.
Another day, and at last the wind has "hauled round"
to the south-east. We bid adieu to Anticosti and its
kindly inhabitants, and in the evening set sail once more for
Quebec. It is a soft, balmy, starlit night, with a gentle
breeze wafting us on even keel over a calm sea. Our
easterly wind next brings us its usual accessories of mist
and fog. Three days elapse, in which the fog seems to
grow denser. We seem to be moving in a magic circle
of sea, perhaps two hundred feet in diameter. Above
and below and all around is the fog, apparently moving
with us. Nothing dse is visible.
Our whereabouts becomes a matter of guesswork.
There are no landmarks. There is no opportunity for an
"observation," even if we had the instruments to make
one. We know by the compass that we are heading for
Quebec, and we know we are still on the open sea, for we
are out of soundings.
Our captain and pilot do not seem worried over the
situation. They are not apprehending collisions, for
they say the steamers cannot run in this fog, and that
the sailing craft, if moving at all, are going in the same
direction as ourselves.
But this easy confidence receives a shock. At half-
past two in the morning, while we are still in the impene-
trable fog and going as rapidly as before, there is a crash,
and the helmsman cries out in wild consternation for
"All hands on deck."
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128 Anticosti
There is hunying backward and forward, shouting and
unintelligible orders about sails, some French profanity
and an unmistakable volley of British oaths coming down
from somewhere above us, in the darkness ; which presently
drifts away and grows fainter in the distance.
Our ship's lanterns are brought into active requisition
to find out what has happened. The schooner proves to
be all safe and sound, except that a piece about two
feet long has been broken off the end of our bowsprit.
It looks very much as if we have run into some ship lying
at anchor, with happily no worse results.
Warned by this experience, we proceed now tmder
shortened sail, and at a slower rate. Is it the same day,
or the next one, when, toward noon, we are suddenly
startled by the loud report of a cannon, seemingly dose
at hand ! The pilot's face is at once beaming with smiles.
He says:
"ItisBic!"
So he knows where we are. We ask where and what
is Bic. We learn that it is an island where the govern-
ment has a lighthouse and a fogbell, and, at intervals of
a few minutes, fire a cannon, as a warning to mariners.
We have not seen the light, nor heard the fogbell, but
we could not help hearing the cannon. So we drop anchor
at once.
When the fog lifts, as after a while it does, with the
swiftness of raising a curtain, we find we are in a spacious
harbour, surrounded by a whole fleet of vessels, steamers
and sailing craft, which, like ourselves, have sought shelter
tmder the protecting care of Bic. We are out of the Gulf
and well up the river, and have come in the fog nearly
two hundred miles from Anticosti.
Napoleon in and Eugkiie at Compidgne. My f ather^s
visit to Europe in 1859 has been described in the published
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Napoleon III and Eugenie at Compi^gne 129
extracts from his letters. But the story of one of the most
interesting days of that journey is not told there. A sub-
sequent conversation of his with M. Drou3m de THuys
gives the narration here.
"Then you were in France before you were Secretary
of State, were you not, Mr. Seward?"
"Yes," he replied, "being in the Senate and a member
of the Committee on Foreign Relations, I came to Europe
^ 1 859* to study the strength and disposition of the
nations with whom we had important questions, and in
a possible contingency, might have critical ones."
"Whom did you see in Paris?"
"I met and saw much of Count Walewski and other
members of the Imperial Government."
"Walewski had charge of foreign aflfairs at that time,
did he not?"
"Yes, I first saw him on his day for giving audiences
to the ambassadors of foreign Powers. We were shown
into a fine hall embellished with pictures and statuary
peculiar to the Empire. Over the mantel was a very
large picture commemorating the Treaty of Paris, which
closed the Russian War. I recognized at once in this
the British Minister, Lord Clarendon. The most im-
portant figure was, however, that of the French Secretary
of State.
"I saw at once that it was the likeness of the first
Napoleon softened and made agreeable. When I asked
who that was, I was surprised by the answer that it was
Count Walewski. I remarked the strange resemblance
to the Napoleon head. The answer was that Walewski
was the son of a Polish lady, with no acknowledged father,
and that he was usually believed to be the natural son
of Napoleon I. He was a very intelligent and engaging
man. He conversed freely, and I learned the imperial
dynasty at that time had no special fear of England's
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130 Napoleon III and Eugenie at Compifegne
policy. It was feeling very strong. I was introduced
there to Lord Cowley and all the foreign ministers, and
f oiind the state of Europe was the subject of much anxiety.
Lord Cowley spoke of his sister, Lady Bulwer, whom we
had known in Washington when Sir Henry Bulwer was
the British Minister there."
"When was it that you saw the Emperor?"
"Some time afterward he invited me to visit him at
Compifegne, and I spent a day there."
"Pray tell us of that visit."
"I arrived at the palace about ten o'clock, and was
ushered into the antechamber, filled with clerks, writing
and recording orders for the special departments of Paris.
Presently an officer came to say that the Emperor would
receive me in his private room.
" It was a chilly morning, and he was warming himself
before an open fire. He sat down immediately, after
shaking hands with me, and expressed himself glad to
see me in France. He asked some questions in regard to
my travelling experiences, which led me to give a humor-
ous turn to some incident which had befallen me. After
a laugh together over this, he suddenly asked me what
the people of the United States thought of his ad-
ministration. I replied: 'Yotu* Majesty may well imag-
ine that the people of the United States think better of
your administration than they expected to when it
began!*
"Then we talked on. He was not merely courteous
but genial. We talked on political subjects everywhere
but in France. We talked fast and freely. It seemed
difficult to find a subject on which wfe could differ, or
which he did not discuss wisely. He asked my opinion
of the Etu*opean statesmen whom I had met, and inquired
who had impressed me most.
" I told him Count Cavotu* in Italy, the Emperor Fran-
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Napoleon III and Eugfenie at Compifegne 131
cis Joseph in Austria, and Gladstone in England. Recall-
ing the incident of our having met once before, in 1837,
at the house of Chancellor Kent in New York, the Emperor
expressed a high admiration for the United States, and
said that owing to the extreme illness of his mother he
was obliged to return to Europe without having seen
Washington, which he much regretted.
"A door opened, and a lady, graceful and pensively
beautiful, entered. The Emperor arose and said: 'The
Empress. ' She glided lightly toward the table, gave me
her hand, and sat down. She asked me a cotu*teous
question about my arrival; and the Emperor told her
that I had a good story about one of my adventures, and
insisted that I should tell it to her. Whereupon we
laughed ourselves into a perfect agreement. The Empress
asked me: 'Which party do you belong to? Mr. Mason,
the American Minister here, is on the Southern side. Do
you agree with him?*
"I answered: 'That is the government side at home,
but I must avow, in frankness to your Majesty, that my
political position is so boldly defined there that I am
called an Abolitionist.'
" ' I like you for that. I dislike slavery so much. '
"After speaking these impulsive words her counte-
nance showed embarrassment, and on turning to the Em-
peror I saw that she had received from him, by a look,
an admonition against imprudence.
" 'Never mind, Madame,' said I, 'there is no harm
done. While I thank you for your ingenuousness, what
you have said shall not be repeated.
" 'And perhaps I must ask a great favour from your
Majesties. John Brown has just been captured and
imprisoned at Harpers Ferry, charged with high treason
against Virginia. Although I had no knowledge what-
ever of the transaction, the Democratic party charge me
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132 Napoleon III and Eugenie at Compifegne
with complicity in the crime, and the New York Herald
announces that the Emperor will be required to surrender
me as a fugitive from justice, and so I may be obliged to
ask your Majesties not to give me up. *
''Both the Emperor and Empress laughingly assured
me of their protection.
After breakfast a large company gathered in a salon.
Of course the imperial infant, son and heir, was brought
in, and received compliments and caresses all around.
" *Mr. Seward, you must see my little boy/ said the
Empress. She put his little hand in mine, and he repeated
after her: 'How do you do, Mr. Seward?'
"Shortly after, tiie Emperor brought the child to me
and said: 'I desire to show you my son. '
"The same salutation having passed again, I took the
beautiful boy in my arms and said: 'It will do the Prince
no harm to receive a kiss from an old man, although he
is a republican. ' The Emperor smiled and cordially ap-
proved.
"The Emperor went to the chase with a party of gentle-
men, and I joined the Empress's party in a drive through
the magnificent forests.
"When, later, the guests had retired before dinner,
and I was waiting for my train, the Emperor remained
conversing with me in the salon, giving me the plan and
full particulars of the changes he was making in Paris,
and pointing out various localities on a map of Louis
XVI. 's time. In the midst of this conversation, he
stopped to inquire of me about Niagara, and asked if it
could be true that Blondin proposed to walk on a wire
across the river. I told him that I had just learned from
an American newspaper that the feat had been accom-
plished.
"I brought away from Compifegne very pleasant memo-
ries of the kindly expressions and greetings received there.
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Napoleon III and Eugfenie at Compi^gne 133
And I learned then that the chief, the ruling, thought of
the Imperial Government was, how to frame a policy which
should render the Napoleonic dynasty safe and perpetuate
it."
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PART n
During the War
1861.
The Baltimore Plot In February, 1861, Mr. Linooln
was on his way to Washington. Leaving Illinois on the
I ith, he and his friends were making a journey necessarily
protracted by the receptions and ovations which the
people were eager to tender to the newly elected President.
Newspapers chronicled the incidents of his trip, the public
greetings at Indianapolis, Columbus, and Pittsburgh,
and the preparations for his welcome at New York,
Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
About noon on Thursday, the 21st, I was in the gallery
of the Senate Chamber when one of the pages touched my
arm, and told me that Senator Seward wished to see me
immediately. Going down I met him in the lobby.
He said that he had received a note from General Scott
and Colonel Stone, communicating information that
seemed of grave import and requiring immediate atten-
tion. He handed me a letter which he had just written
to Mr. Lincoln, enclosing the note from General Scott.
He said:
"Whether this story is well founded or not, Mr. Linooln
ought to know of it at once. But I know of no reason
to doubt it. General Scott is impressed with the belief
that the danger is real. Colonel Stone has facilities for
134
Digiti
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The Baltimore Plot 135
knowings and is not apt to exaggerate. I want you to
go by the first train. Find Mr. Lincoln wherever he is.
"Let no one else know your errand. I have written
him that I think he should change his arrangements, and
pass through Baltimore at a different hour. I know it
may occasion some embarrassment, and perhaps some
ill-natured talk. Nevertheless, I would strongly advise
him to do it."
j The train, a tedious one, brought me into Philadelphia
about ten o'clock at night. I had learned from the news-
papers, and the conversation of my fellow-passengers,
that the party of thePresident-elect would spend the night
at the Continental Hotel, where he would be serenaded.
Arriving at the hotel, I found Chestnut Street crowded
with people, gay with lights, and echoing with music and
cheering. Within, the halls and stairways were packed,
and the brilliantly lighted parlours were filled with ladies
and gentlemen who had come to "pay their respects."
A burst of animated conversation pervaded the throng,
and in its centre presentations to the President-elect
appeared to be going on. Qearly, this was no time for
the delivery of a confidential message. I turned into a
room near the head of the stairway, which had been
pointed out as that of Mr. Robert Lincoln. He was sur-
rounded by a group of young friends. On my introducing
myself, he met and greeted me with courteous warmth,
and then called to Colonel Ward H. Lamon, who was
passing, and introduced us to each other. Colonel Lamon,
taking me by the arm, proposed at once to go back into
the parlour to present me to Mr. Lincoln. On my telling
him that I wanted my interview to be as private and to
attract as little attention as possible, the Colonel laughed
and said: '
"Then I think I had better take you to his bedroom.
If you don't mind waiting there, you'll be sure to meet
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136 The Baltimore Plot
him, for he has got to go there sometime tonight, and it
is the only place I know of where he will be likely to be
alone."
This was the very opporttmity I desired Thanking
the Colonel, I sat and waited for an hour or more in the
quiet room that was in such contrast to the bustle outside.
Presently Colonel Lamon called me, and we met Mr.
Lincoln, who was coming down the hall. I had never
before seen him; but the campaign portraits had made his
face quite familiar. I could not but notice how accu-
rately they had copied his features, and how totally they
had omitted his careworn look, and his pleasant, kindly
smile.
After a few words of friendly greeting, with inquiries
about my father and matters in Washington, he sat down
by the table tmder the gas light to peruse the letter I had
brought. Although its contents were of a somewhat
startling nature he made no exclamation, and I saw no
sign of surprise in his face. After reading it carefully
through, he again held it to the light, and deliberately
read it through a second time. Then, after musing a
moment, he looked up and asked:
" Did you hear anything about the way this information
was obtained? Do you know anything about how they
got it?"
No, I had known nothing in regard to it, till that morn-
ing when called down by my father from the Senate
gallery.
"Your father and General Scott do not say who they
think are concerned in it. Do you think they know?"
On that point, too, I could give no additional informa-
tion further than my impression that my father's know-
ledge was limited to what had been communicated to him
by Colonel Stone, in whose statements he had implicit
confidence.
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The Baltimore Plot 137
"Did you hear any names mentioned? Did you, for
instance, ever hear anything said about such a name as
Pinkerton?"
No, I had heard no such name in connection with the
matter, — ^no name at all, in fact, except those of General
Scott and Colonel Stone.
He thought a moment, and then said:
" I may as well tell you why I ask. There were stories
or rumours some time ago, before I left home, about people
who were intending to do me a mischief. I never at-
tached much importance to them — ^never wanted to believe
any such thing. So I never would do anything about
them, in the way of taking precautions and the like.
Some of my friends, though, thought differently — ^Judd
and others — and without my knowledge they employed
a detective to look into the matter. It seems he has
occasionally reported what he fotmd, and only today,
since we arrived at this house, he brought this story, or
something similar to it, about an attempt on my life in
the confusion and htu-ly-btu-ly of the reception at Balti-
more."
"Surely, Mr. Lincoln," said I, "that is a strong cor-
roboration of the news I bring you."
He smiled and shook his head.
"That is exactly why I was asking you about names.
If different persons, not knowing of each other's work,
have been pursuing separate clues that led to the same
result, why then it shows there may be something in it.
But if this is only the same story, filtered through two
channels, and reaching me in two ways, then that don't
make it any stronger. Don't you see?"
The logic was unanswerable. But I asserted my strong
belief that the two investigations had been conducted
independently of each other, and urged that there was
enough of probability to make it prudent to adopt the
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138 The Baltimore Plot
suggestion, and make the slight change in hour atid train
which would avoid all risk.
After a little further discussion of the subject, Mr. lin-
coin rose and said:
"Well, we haven't got to decide it tonight, anyway,
and I see it's getting late."
Then, noticing that I looked disappointed at his re-
luctance to regard the warning, he said kindly:
'' You need not think I will not consider it well. I shall
think it over carefully, and try to decide it right; and I
will let you know in the morning."
At the breakfast table the next day I found the morning
papers announced that Mr. Lincoln had risen early, in
order to go over to Independence Hall to attend the flag
raising there on Washington's Birthday. They gave
also a report of his remarks there. One sentence in these
had a deeper meaning than his audience guessed. Ad-
verting to the principle embodied in the Declaration of
Independence, he said: "If this coimtry cannot be saved
without giving up that principle, I was about to say, I
would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender
it."
Shortly after breakfast, Colonel Lamon met me in the
hall, and, taking me aside, said that Mr. Lincoln had
concluded to do as he had been advised. He would change
his plan so as to pass through Baltimore at a different
hour from that announced. I hastened to the tel^;raph
office, and sent to my father a word previously agrc^
upon; on receiving which he would tmderstand that his
advice had been taken.
Accordingly, he was at the railroad station in Washing-
ton on Saturday morning, with E. B. Washbume of Illi-
nois, when Mr. Lincoln and Colonel Lamon, very much
to the surprise of the bystanders, got out of the night
train from Philadelphia.
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The Old State Department 139
After breakfast, my father introduced him to the Presi-
dent and Cabinet, and then went with him to call on
General Scott. Rooms had been taken for the President-
elect at Willard's Hotel, and most of the afternoon was
passed in receiving visits from his friends, the members
of Congress, and of the Peace Conference. Mingled with
the expressions of gratification at meeting him, was an
undertone of regret that it should have been deemed
necessary or wise to make the hasty night trip through
Baltimore. This was natural enough. The time had
not yet come when Americans in general could realize
that a crime at once so nefarious and so foolish as the
assassination of the Chief Magistrate was possible.
Mr. Lincoln himself, conversing with his friend Leonard
Swett, intimated that, while he had been impressed by
the Pinkerton warning, yet he had about made up his
mind not to be influenced by it, tmsupported as it was
by any other evidence. When, later in the evening, I
arrived with the letters from my father. General Scott,
and Colonel Stone, resulting from a different investiga-
tion, it became manifest to him that at least the matter
had too much importance to be disregarded.
So he made his quiet entry into the national capital
by the night train — thus defeating the plans of the con-
spirators to attack him in the tumult expected to follow
the arrival of his train in Baltimore at noon.
The Old State Department ''Your nomination was
confirmed in the Senate today. So you are now the
Assistant Secretary of State," said Senator Sumner,
looking in, with a smile on his usually grave face. ''No
objection was made, and you will be able to enter upon
your duties tomorrow."
Accordingly I walked over to the historic old building
in the morning, took the oath of office, and began my work.
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140 The Old State Department
In Major L'Enfant's original plan of Washington there
were four buildings, all just alike, at the four comers of
the square devoted to the grounds and groves surround-
ing the Executive Mansion. They were for the four
departments, of State, Treasury, War, and Navy. They
were substantial modest brick edifices, without architec-
tural ornament, except a lofty portico, with white columns,
on the north side of each, covering its principal entrance.
The revenues and expenditures of the new Republic
soon began to exceed all expectations; and the Treasury
Department was torn down to give place to a much more
spacious and pretentious structure, having a long colon-
nade on 15th Street. The War and Navy establishments
also outgrew their quarters, but their buildings were
still standing, and were supplemented by additional
ones rented on the adjoining streets, for bureaus and
derks. Only the State Department retained its original
dimensions; for the whole number of its officials in Wash-
ington hardly amounted to a hundred men. It had a
certain stately dignity, enhanced by the remembrance of
what had transpired within its grey walls in the course of
seventy years.
Here the foreign relations of the United States were
conducted for the greater part of the first century of the
nation. Here were kept the archives and the correspond-
ence with all foreign governments, and here were prepared
the instructions, replies, and treaties, which were to de-
termine the nation's foreign policy.
Prom here Oliver Ellsworth and his colleagues were
sent out to make the treaty with Talleyrand which averted
a threatened war with Prance. Prom here Jefferson
sent the first written President's Message to Congress.
Here Madison prepared the instructions to Robert R.
Livingston as Minister at Paris, to guide him in nego-
tiating the purchase of the great Louisiana territory.
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The Old State Department 141
Here Decatur and Preble were instructed to break up
the piracy of the Barbaiy powers, to release the captives,
and make an end of the tribute. From here Monroe and
Pinckney set out to try to stop the impressment of Ameri-
can seamen and the seizure of American ships by the
British navy. From here emanated JeflFerson's procla-
mation, ordering all British men-of-war out of American
waters. Here Secretary Monroe gave the British Minister
his passports, and President Madison proclaimed the
war with England. Here, soon after, came the Russian
envoy to offer friendly mediation in the conflict, and from
here, soon after that, Henry Clay and his colleagues went
out to effect the restoration of peace by the Treaty of
Ghent. From here was promulgated the celebrated
''Monroe Doctrine," that this continent was to be thence-
forward free from European dictation. Here John Quincy
Adams concluded the treaty with Spain for the acquisition
of Florida. From here went out the recognition of the
independence of Mexico and the South American repub-
lics. Here Lafayette was welcomed; and from here
Harrison bore greetings to Bolivar. Here was penned
General Jackson's message denouncing nullification by
South Carolina. Here Webster concluded his treaty with
Lord Ashburton settling all boundary and extradition
disputes with Great Britain. And here he made his
famous declaration that ''Every merchant vessel on the
high seas is rightfully considered part of the territory to
which it belongs." From here Secretary Calhotm, on
the night before President Tyler's retirement from office,
sent out a messenger offering annexation to Texas. Here
Secretary Buchanan drafted the treaty of peace with
Mexico, and from here went out Polk's proclamation of
the new treaty of Guadelupe-Hidalgo and the acquisition
of California and New Mexico. Here Clayton heard the
knell of his political hopes, when the bell over his head
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142 The Old State Department
began to toll for the death of General Taylor. Prom
here went forth the invitation to Kossuth, then exiled
in Turkey, to come to the United States on board an
American frigate. Here were framed the instructions
and treaty through which Commodore Perry was to open
Japan to American commerce. Here Marcy penned his
celebrated dispatch in the Koszta case, maintaining the
rights of American citizenship. And here President
and Queen exchanged congratulations, in the first messages
that ever went over the Atlantic cable.
Now, in the beginning of 1861, the State Department
was in a condition of suspended animation. The Secre-
tary of State, General Cass, had resigned, on account of
a diflference of opinion with President Buchanan. The
Assistant Secretary of State, Mr. Trescott, had gone home
to South Carolina, to take part in her secession from the
Union. The Attorney-General, Mr. Black, was in nomi-
nal charge of the oflBce but exercising few of its ftmctions.
The actual head of affairs departmental was Mr. William
Htmter, the Chief Clerk.
Forttmatdy he was admirably equipped for that work.
Appointed in his youth to a clerkship in the Department
by John Quincy Adams, he had passed the greater part
of his life within its walls, under dififerent secretaries,
through successive administrations, and rising by succes-
sive promotions from the lowest to the highest rank. He
took no part in partisan conflicts. His loyalty to the
Union was tmdoubt§d. His allegiance and fidelity were
to the Government. So every secretary trusted him and
depended on him. He was a walking encyclopaedia of
the decisions and precedents and questions arising out of
our foreign relations. Of course he was familiarly ac-
quainted with the personnel of the Department and of
the diplomatic corps, past and present. Conversing
fluently in French and Spanish, he was an excellent medium
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The Old State Department 143
f OT intercourse with the foreign representatives, — most of
whom liked to have a private unoflScial interview with
Mr. Htmter, when they were not sure whether their
carefully studied Englidi would correspond with the
customary American idioms. His f tmctions had gradu-
ally come to be very like those of the permanent Under
Secretary in the British Foreign Office, a post held for
years by Sir Julian Patmcefote and by other eminent
diplomatists.
The stem dislike of our forefathers toward monarchy
and titles of nobility found expression in oiu: Constitution
and laws. The President was to be simply "The Presi-
dent," not "His Majesty" nor "His Highness" nor even
"His Excellency." No titles of nobility or decorations
were to be granted. We were to have no ambassadors,
or field marshals, or lord high admirals. We were to
be represented abroad by ministers and charg6s. In
the departments, those high dignitaries known at Euro-
pean .courts as lord high chancellors, lord high treas-
urers, and other lordships and excellencies were shorn of
such distinctions, and even the keeper of the seal and
derk of the rolls and such important officers were described
in the statute books as " 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th class clerks."
So the officials of the State Department, many of whom
had occupied responsible diplomatic positions and dis-
charged important functions, were relegated to that
democratic level.
Ever since General Jackson's time there had been usu-
ally almost a clean sweep of department officials after
each Presidential election, on the ground that "to the
victors belong the spoils." Active partisans received
the offices as their rewards. But it was soon learned that
the Department of State must be made an exception to
that rule, unless we were ready to sacrifice all the tact
and experience gained by long service in diplomacy, of
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144 The Old State Department
which we needed as much as any European Power. So
many officers of the Department represented successive
administrations, and some had a record of ten, twenty,
or thirty years' service.
On the morning after his appointment to be Secretary
of State, my father sent for Mr. Hunter, and requested
that a complete list of all the officers, clerks, and employees
should be brought to him. Then inquiry was made as
to which ones were trustworthy and loyal to the Union
and which were disaffected or openly disloyal. It was not
difficult to select them, for Washington had so long been
a Southern city and so many of its officials were in sym-
pathy with the Secessionists, that outspoken disunion
sentiments were freely avowed. In fact all the depart-
ments contained many whom it was believed only remained
in order to use their positions to give aid or information
to the opponents of the Government.
The new Secretary of State promptly dismissed all
except those whose fidelity to the Union was undoubted.
Then he informed Mr. Hunter he should make no further
inquiry or discrimination in regard to past party affilia-
tions, but shovild expect all who remained to act with him
in zealously maintaining and upholding the Federal
Union.
The good results of this policy were immediately ap-
parent, and continued throughout the period of the Civil
War. Faithful and zealous service was rendered by all.
No duty was neglected, no state secrets betrayed, and
no removal ever found necessary. In fact most of the
State Department clerks remained at their desks during
the time of Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, and Hayes,
several being promoted to higher diplomatic or depart-
mental work.
A year or two after the close of the Civil War, it was
decreed that the old department building shovild be pulled
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The Month of Suspense 145
down to give place to more spacious and imposing edifices.
While the demolition was going on, and we were occupy-
ing temporary quarters on 14th Street, Mr. Cox of the
Disbursing (MBce called to present a mahogany cane to
the Secretary of State.
"This cane, Mr. Secretary," said he, "has been in the
hands of every President of the United States since Wash-
ington, of every Vice-President, of every Minister sent
abroad and every foreign representative sent here by any
foreign Power, of every cabinet officer in every adminis-
tration, as well as in the hands of every Senator and
member of Congress who has been at all prominent in
government affairs."
"Your tale rather taxes one's credulity, Mr. Cox.
What is this remarkable cane that you offer me?"
"It is one, Mr. Secretary, that has been carved out of
the handrail of the stairway in the old Department of
State, which all visitors have used on their way to the
Secretary's room."
The cane is now preserved at Auburn.
The Month of Suspense. When Mr. Lincoln had been
peaceably inaugurated, it seemed to many both at the
North and the South that the worst was now over. There
had been no riot or tumult. All was decorous and orderly.
True, there were several States that declared themselves
"seceded"; but State after State during the winter had
"gone out," and nothing had happened. They had made
no hostile demonstration, and none had been made to-
wards them. There was a popvdar feeling that the "se-
ceded" States would simply hold aloof from participating
in public affairs, maintain an attitude of sullen defiance,
coupled with preparations for military defence, and so
would await or make overtures of readjustment.
The people of the North were incredulous of Southern
10
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146 The Month of Suspense
threats. That any one should acttially make war upon
the general government was to them hardly imaginable.
Besides there was no immediate reason or provocation.
The Republican party had declared that it had no inten-
tion of interfering with slavery in the States, and there
was now no Territorial issue. The Republican President
had been elected and inaugurated, but he was powerless
to act while Congress was opposed to him. Furthermore
it was known that there were many differences of opinion
among the Northern people. Ntunerous public men and
bodies had declared that it was "unconstitutional" for
the Federal Government to "coerce a sovereign State."
Many of the Northern Democrats were believed to be in
sympathy with the South and with slavery; while it was
well known that there were many stanch Union men in the
Southern States.
There were three points on which public interest was
centred, Fort Sumter, Fort Pickens, and the State of
Viriginia.
Fort Simiter, in Charleston harbour, was claimed by
South Carolinians as legitimately belonging to the State,
although held by a small Federal garrison. They an-
nounced that they wovdd allow it to be neither reinforced
nor supplied, and they were diligently erecting batteries
and throwing up earthworks around it, to prevent any
succour from reaching it. They confidently hoped that
the little garrison would soon be starved out or siurender.
Fort Pickens, on the coast of Florida, had also a sntiall
garrison, which the Secessionists hoped to capture by the
simple expedient of taking the men, one by one, on a writ
of habeas corpus before a neighbouring judge, by whom,
on one pretext or another, they were promptly discharged
from the United States military service. So the garrison
was slowly but effectively reduced.
Meanwhile the State of Virignia was holding a conven-
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The Month of Suspense 147
tion at which the disunionists were hoping to pass an
ordinance of secession. The Union men, however, claimed
a majority. If Virginia refused to pass the ordinance
and remained in the Union, the revolution would be shorn
of its proportions, whereas if she sided with the rebellion,
Maryland would follow, and all the slave States would be
united. This, it was held, wovdd convince the North of
the utter hopelessness of subjugating so vast a territory,
covering nearly half of the Union.
All the energies of the disunionists were put forth
therefore to acquire Virginia. It was confidently believed,
however, at the North, that the disimion leaders were
in a minority, though a very active and persevering one.
The disunionists themselves insisted that their policy
meant peace, not war, for all the free States, even if
united, covild not hope to conquer all the slaveholding
ones. While the debates in the Virginian convention
thus dragged along, the leaders cast about for means to
*'fire the Southern heart," and so secure a "tmited
South."
On his way home from St. John's Church, the first
Stmday after his arrival in Washington, Mr. Lincoln had
said to my father: "Governor Seward, there is one part
of my work that I shall have to leave largely to you. I
shall have to depend upon you for taking care of these
matters of foreign affairs, of which I know so little, and
with which I reckon you are familiar."
President Lincoln now had set about his laborious
duties in good faith, and the first shape in which they
presented themselves to him was in the swarm of office-
seekers that beleaguered the White House, filling all the
halls, corridors, and offices from morning till night. The
patient good htmiour and the democratic habits of the
new President led him to give audience to everybody, at
all hours. Even the members of his Cabinet, sometimes,
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148 The Month of Suspense
had to force their way through the crowd, and get the
private ear of the President in the comer of a roomful of
visitors, before they could impart to him grave matters
of state.
My father was a daily and frequent visitor at the White
House during this month of crowds and confusion. I
found myself often a bearer of messages from one to the
other, about matters too important for longer delay. At
first, when I would take up to the President a paper for
his signature, he would spread it out and carefully read
the whole of it. But this usage was speedily abandoned,
and he would hastily say, "Your father says this is all
right, does he? Well, I guess he knows. Where do I
put my name?"
While President and people were resting in the confident
belief that, if the oflSces could only be satisfactorily disposed
of, and the Southern trouble somehow staved off, all might
yet go well, a new and unlooked-for danger was not only
threatened, but actually close at hand from Europe.
My father had now been in the State Department long
enough to discover that the three great Powers of western
Europe were actively engaged in helping the plots to
break up the United States. This was their opportunity.
Public attention in the United States had been so absorbed
in affairs at home that none had been given to affairs
abroad. But these three great Powers had been closely
watching our troubles, and preparing to take advantage
of them. If the great American Republic was going to
pieces, it meant to them that the republican form of
government, everjrwhere, was doomed to like destruction.
Spain, England, and France were monarchical govern-
ments, having little faith in republics. Now, the progress
of events in the United States seemed to show that the
old order of things was coming back, and they could
resume the building of their empires on monarchical lines.
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The Month of Suspense 149
The "Monroe Doctrine" could safely be ignored, and
the interference of America need not be feared.
Spain had already openly seized the government of
San Domingo, toppled down the Dominican republic, and
again planted the banner of Castile on the island where
it first waved four hundred years before.
England, through Lord Lyons, had formally notified
the American Secretary of State that any "paper block-
ade" of Southern ports wovdd be disregarded by her
Majesty's government, and that none would be regarded
ui^ess "rendered eflfective by ample naval force." He
significantly added that the American navy was by no
means such a force.
France was evasive as to her designs in Mexico, and
certainly would not regard any "paper blockade" of the
"seceded States," but instead she might recognize those
States themselves,
The whole fabric of American republics threatened to
fall like a house of cards. To Etiropean statesmen, this
resvilt seemed to be exactly what they had so long pre-
dicted.
On Sunday afternoon, the 1st of April, my father wrote
out a series of suggestions for Mr. Lincoln, to aid him in
thinking over topics which would come up at succeeding
interviews. This paper was headed, "Some thoughts for
the President's consideration." It was not to be filed,
or to pass into the hands of any clerk. As my father's
handwriting was almost illegible, I copied it myself , and
dispatched it by private hand.
In this paper were briefly outlined suggestions in regard
to the crowd of oflBce-seekers, the relief of the two forts,
the navy and the blockade, the suspension of the habeas
corpus at Key West, the issues of slavery and the Union
or disimion, and the foreign policy to be pursued with
reference to the various European Powers.
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ISO The Call to Arms
Mr. Lincoln acknowledged its reception in a kind and
dignified note, in which he said that if these things were
to be done, then he must do them. So the "Thoughts"
became, as intended, the basis of subsequent interviews
betyreen the President and the Secretary of State. They
also proved useful hints for Cabinet discussions. My
father found the President ready and willing to sanction
and co-operate in most of the points and suggestions.
Accordiugly, on the very next day, Spain was called upon,
through her Minister, Mr. Tassara, for "explanations"
in regard to her acts in San Domingo. The secret expedi-
tion for the relief of Fort Pickens was approved, fitted
out, and dispatched without attracting public attention
tmtil it reached its destination and accomplished its pur-
pose. It carried the executive order for the suspension
of the writ of habeas corpus at Key West. On succeed-
ing days, the "explanations" from France, Great Britain,
Russia, and Spain were called for with more or less satis-
factory results.
And now the month of suspense drew to its inevitable
ending. The events dreaded at the North, and hoped for
at the South, actually took place. As Fort Sumter was
to be either evacuated or reinforced, the Administration
decided to supply and reinforce it. South Carolina
decided to bombard and capture it.
Virginia thereupon promptly passed the Ordinance of
Secession. And so, amid general Southern exultation, the
dream of the Secessionists for a " united South " was at
last realized — to be followed by an awakening to four years
of bloody war — and the final restoration of the Union.
The Call to Arms. It was on Friday, the 12th of April,
that news came that the Secessionists were about to
attack Fort Sumter, and would endeavour to carry it by
assault before the relief expedition could reach there.
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The Call to Arms 151
It was while the batteries in Charleston were opening
fire on the national flag that my father was penning his
instructions to Burlingame, In them he remarked:
"We are just now entering on a fearful trial, not only
unknown but even deemed impossible. Ambitious and
discontented partisans have raised the standard of in-
surrection, and organized a revolutionary government.
Their agents have gone abroad to seek, under the name
of 'recognition,' aid and assistance. A premature de-
claration of recognition by any foreign state would be
direct intervention, and the state which should lend it
must be prepared to assiune the relations of an ally of
the projected Confederacy. Both the justice and the
wisdom of the war must be settled, as all questions which
concern the American people must be determined, not
by arms but by suffrage. When, at last, the ballot is to
be employed, after the sword, then in addition to the
questions indicated, two further ones wiU arise, requiring
to be answered, namely, which party began the conflict,
and which maintained in that conflict the cause of freedom
and humanity."
Saturday morning came the news of the bombardment,
and the gallant defence of their flag by the handful of
men in the garrison, against the overwhelming odds of
batteries erected all round the harbour and manned by
besiegers, who were to the besieged more than a hundred
to one. Occasional telegraphic dispatches, sent out during
the day and evening by the assailants, chronicled the
progress of the unequal struggle.
Sunday morning it was known in Washington that the
defenders, having faithfully performed their duty so long
as their guns and ammtmition held out, would haul down
their flag at noon, and evacuate the fort.
President and Cabinet passed most of the day in con-
sultation over the grave, though not unexpected, event,
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152 The Call to Arms
and its far-reaching consequences. As to their own imme-
diate duty there was no difference of opinion. The time
had manifestly arrived to call for troops. It was no
longer a question of "coercing States" but of defending
the existence of the nation. Nor was there any delusive
hope that a small force would suffice. Each of the Cabinet
members realized that the contest would be gigantic.
The point for anxious consultation was, not how many
soldiers would quell the rebellion, but how many it would
be wise to call for at the very outset. The lowest figure
suggested was fifty thousand; the highest one himdred
thousand. My father advocated the largest number.
It was finally deemed prudent to fix the limit at seventy-
five thousand. By this an eflfective force of fifty thousand
men might be counted on at once from the Northern
States. In the border States there would be lukewarm-
ness and delay, perhaps refusal.
The next question was as to calling Congress. The
executive branch of the Government could not levy armies,
and expend public money, without Congressional sanction.
Congress wovild be loy^al, but it would be a deliberative
body, and to wait for "many men of many minds " to shape
a war policy would be to invite disaster. So it was con-
cluded to call Congress to meet on the 4th of July, and
to trust to their patriotism to sanction the war measures
taken prior to that time by the Executive.
President Lincoln drafted the substance of his proposed
Proclamation. The Secretary of War undertook to ar-
range the respective quotas of the several States. The
Secretary of State brought the document to his Depart-
ment, and, calling together his clerks, had it duly per-
fected in form and engrossed. The President's signature
and his own were appended, the great seal affixed that
evening, and copies were given to the press that it might
appear in the newspapers of Monday morning.
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The Call to Arms 153
The response to the Proclamation at the North was all
or more than could be anticipated. Every Governor of
a free State promptly promised that his quota should be
forthcoming. An enthusiastic outburst of patriotic feel-
ing— ^an "uprising of the North" in town and country
— ^was reported by telegraph. Dispatches poured in an*
nouncing the readiness not only of individuals, but of
whole organizations, to volunteer. Party lines seemed
to be swept away. Disunion sympathizers were silenced.
Whole communities were vigorously at work mustering
troops and sending them forward for the defence of the
national capital. The newspapers were filled with vivid
pictures of the scenes of popular enthusiasm in New York,
Boston, and Philadelphia, where regiments were forming
amid the waving of flags, the roaring of cannon, and the
shouts of assembled thousands.
From the South, the echo to the Proclamation was more
sullen, but equally significant. Troops for the Confeder-
acy already organized were hurrying forward. Veteran
soldiers were marshalling recruits. Popular feeling in
the seceding States was declared to be unanimous.
"Union" utterances were silenced and the South was said
to be "bitterly in earnest in fighting for independence."
From the border States came indications that, while
there was still division of opinion, the outbreak of hos-
tilities was paralysing the Union men and lending new
energy to the Secessionists. To the call upon them for
militia, defiant answers were returned. "You can get
no troops from North Carolina," telegraphed the Governor
of that State; "I regard the levy of troops made by the
Administration for the purpose of subjugating the States
of the South, as a violation of the Constitution, and a
usurpation of power." The Governor of Tennessee
replied: "Tennessee will not furnish a single man for
coercion, but fifty thousand if necessary for the defence
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154 The Call to Arms
of our rights and those of our brethren.** The Governor
of Kentucky answered: "Kentucky will furnish no troops
for the widced purpose of subduing her sister Southern
States." The Governor of Missouri said: "Not one man
will the State of Missouri furnish to carry on so unholy
a crusade." The Governor <rf Delaware answered more
mildly: "The laws of this State do not confer upon the
Executive any authority allowing him to comply with
such a requisition." From Maryland came no immediate
response. Prom Virginia came ominous news that the
convention had hastily and secretly reversed its previous
decision, had adopted an Ordinance of Secession, and
had joined the Confederacy.
The President of the Confederate Government, at
Montgomery, issued a proclamation, offering "letters of
marque and reprisal" to armed privateers of any nation.
Active measures were begun for organizing troops to at-
tack Washington.
Of the regiments called for. New York was to furnish
seventeen, Pennsylvania sixteen, and Ohio thirteen;
while the quotas from the other States ranged from one
to six.
The day after the Proclamation was issued, the Massa-
chusetts Sixth Regiment mustered on Boston Common,
and on the following evening, armed and equipped, was
on its way to Washington. Acclamations greeted it along
the roads, and the march down Broadway in New York
roused the popular enthusiasm to the highest point. The
evening of Thursday the i8th fotmd it at Philadelphia.
The same evening witnessed the arrival in Washington
of three or four hundred Pennsylvanians, to be armed,
equipped, and placed in regimental organization after
reaching the capital. These were the first comers of the
new levy.
A day later the telegraph annotmced that the New York
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Washington Beleaguered 153
Seventh was also en route through Philadelphia and that
others wovild speedily follow.
Amid a general outburst of patriotism nothing was more
significant than the promptness with which many influ-
ential Northern Democrats annotmced their determina-
tion to "stand by the Government." Chief among them
was Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln's chief competitor in
the election, who now, on the day the Proclamation was
signed, visited the President to assure him of hearty
sympathy and co-operation.
Washington Beleaguered. Washington had supposed
itself to be the capital of the United States; but now it
was suddenly transformed into an isolated city, in an
enemies' cotmtry, threatened with attack from the hostile
commvmities all around it.
On the 19th came the news that Virginia, having sud-
denly become a hostile power, had sent troops to seize
Harpers Ferry. The lieutenant in charge had escaped
with his little garrison, after setting fire to some of the
buildings; but the rebels had thus gained an important
post, with valuable machinery and a large amoimt of arms.
Later in the day came the startling intelligence that the
mob had attacked the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
troops as they were coming through Baltimore. The
telegraph and evening papers soon brought confirmation
showing that the rioters had practical control of Baltimore,
and of the railways north, thus cutting off all communica-
tion between the North and the capital.
A day later came the news that the navy yard at Nor-
folk would probably share the fate of the armory at
Harpers Ferry. Protected only by a few marines, it
was exposed to easy capture. The vessels, arms, supplies,
machinery, buildings, and docks had cost the United
States Government many millions, and their value to
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156 Washington Beleaguered
insurgents at the very outset of a rebellion was incalcula-
ble. Possession of armory and navy yard would place
in the hands of the rebels, for instant use, more of the
material of war than the Government would have at hand.
Commodore Pauldiag was sent down with the Pawnee
to rescue and bring such of the ships and supplies as might
be found practicable. He found on arrival that the ships
had already been scuttled, and, after a hasty conference of
the officers of the expedition, it was determined that since
the property could not be saved, it was best to bum and
destroy as much as possible, to keep it out of the hands
of the rebels.
Dangers were thickening around the Federal dty in all
directions. With Virginia in active hostility on one side,
Maryland was taking steps to prevent all help on the
other. The Secessionists were holdiug meetings, muster*
ing troops, stopping trains, burning railway bridges.
By Saturday it was known that railway communication
with the North was cut off. By Sunday night the tele-
graph had ceased to work, and it was realized that Wash-
ington was beleaguered by its enemies on every side.
Washington was still a slaveholding dty. Southern
sympathies pervaded its social drdes and, as yet, were in
its official circles. When it began to look as if the dty
were cut off from all Northern help and would soon be
captured by troops advancing from the South, the exul-
tation of secession sympathizers was ndther concealed
nor repressed. The Confederate flag was flying at Alex-
andria, in full view from the Capitol and the White
House. Confederate scouts were reported to be posted
at the end of the bridge connecting the dty with
Virginia.
In the streets and hotels the wildest rumours gained
credence. A mob was reported to be coming over from
Baltimore, to bum the public buildings and sack the town.
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The War Begun 157
Confederate vessels were declared to be coming up from
Norfolk to bombard it. Confederate troops were as-
serted to be marching up from Richmond, and down from
Harpers Perry, to take possession. Forty thousand
''Virginia volunteers armed with bowie knives," it was
said, were coming over the Long Bridge. Business was
at a standstill. The railway station was silent, the
wharves deserted. Groups of people gathered at street
comers exchanging, in low tones, their forebodings of
disaster, or their hopes of relief.
Government clerks cherishing disloyal sentiments made
haste to vacate their places, and Southern army and
navy officers to resign their commissions, so as to be
ready to join the ranks of the coming conquerors.
The newspapers, cut off from their usual telegraphic
facilities, gave such intelligence as they could get, but
their coltunns wotdd hardly hold a tithe of the startling
stories that were flying about the streets. It was an-
nounced that the Confederate Secretary of War at Mont-
gomery predicted that the "Confederate flag would float
over the Capitol at Washington before the ist of May."
The War Begun. Half a dozen companies of the regu-
lar army had been gathered by General Scott, and distrib-
uted where most needed about the city. The batteries
of light artillery were posted to guard the bridges. The
Capitol was barricaded, and the Massachusetts Sixth,
which had fought its way through Baltimore, was quar-
tered in the Senate Chamber. The Pennsylvanians had
been armed and assigned to similar duty. The marines
were charged with the defence of the wharves and the
navy yard.
Hie District niilitia, which the General had organized
for the inauguration, now proved a valuable arm of defence.
It mustered fifteen companies. They were distributed to
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158 The War Begun
guard the avenues and public buildings. Sentries were
posted, ammunition distributed, and a system of signals
arranged, so as to ensure rapid concentration at any point
attacked.
Muskets were distributed to clerks in the various govern-
ment offices, and many private residences were armed for
defence. Two companies were hastily formed by visitors
at the hotels and others, under the leadership of Cassius
M. Clay and James H. Lane, which patrolled the streets
and performed guard duty.
About two o'clock in the morning, I was aroused by
loud knocking at the front door, and descending the
stairs to ascertain the cause, I found, outside, one of these
night patrols. They informed me that they had caught
a suspicious prisoner, evidently a Virginian, whom they
thought might be a spy. He had avowed his purpose of
going to Secretary Seward's house, so they had brought
him around for identification. He was hastily taken
up, under guard, to my father.
Rousing himself, my father said: "George, is that you?'*
He turned out to be a young man from Virginia, who had
been sent over by his mother, a loyal Union woman, to
tell us that trains were running on the Orange & Alex-
andria Railroad at frequent intervals, all night, loaded
with armed men who it was presumed were going to
attend some Confederate rendezvous at Manassas or
elsewhere.
George was released by the patrol, as he had proved to
be no spy, but a friend, and the information he brought
confirmed the news that the Confederates were mustering
somewhere in formidable numbers.
Our military force, though small, was believed to be
sufficient to preclude danger of a surprise.
A few days later came the welcome intelligence that
the New York Seventh and the Massachusetts Eighth
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The War Begun 159
and the Seventy-first of New York had arrived at An-
napolis.
The rails of the branch railroad had been torn up, and
the engines disabled, for a distance of nine miles to the
Washington junction. But "Yankee" soldiers were not
to be checkmated thereby. General Butler drew up his
forces, in parade order, at the Annapolis navy yard,
and requested that any one familiar with track laying,
or engine repairing, should step to the front. Twenty
or more skiUed mechanics promptly responded to the
call. So the relieving army made its way to the capital,
laying down the rails, and putting the trains in order, to
keep up its communication. Of course they were received
at the national capital with shouts of joy by the Union
men.
Now troops came pouring in for the defence of the
capital. Every day came the welcome sound of drum and
fife, and the cheering gleam of bayonets. The long lines
of newcomers marched up Pennsylvania Avenue, passing
the State Department and the White House, and pausing
at the portal of the War Department ."to report for duty,"
and to be assigned to their respective camps.
These were at first in the vacant squares of the city,
but as time went on, and the army continued to grow,
they were pushed out into the suburbs, and on the ad-
joining heights. Many of these, under the direction of
the engineers, soon became fortified camps and forts. In
the course of a few months, every hill aroimd Washington
was crowned with an earthwork, and the city was
ultimately sturoimded by a cordon of fortifications, sixty
miles in circtimf erence.
The President and Cabinet f oimd it necessary and de-
sirable to have personal representatives in New York,
empowered to act with promptness in the emergencies
now daily arising. Orders were therefore given for the
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i6o The War Begun
purchase, charter, and arming of steamships in New York,
Boston, and Philadelphia, and extraordinary powers, in
behalf of the War and Navy Departments, were bestowed
upon Governor Morgan, George D. Morgan, William
M. Evarts, R. M. Blatchford, and Moses H. Grinnell, to
whom officers should report for instruction and advice
in forwarding troops and supplies.
Similar powers to act for the Treasury Department in
expending the public money were conferred upon John
A. Dix, George Opdyke, and R. M. Blatchford. These
gentlemen were to give no security, and to act without
compensation, reporting their proceedings when com-
munications should be re-established.
How faithfully the great trust was discharged. President
Lincoln himself, at a later day, bore testimony.
He said: " The several Departments of the Government,
at that time, contained so large a number of disloyal
persons, that it would have been impossible to provide
safely, through official agents only, for the performance
of the duties thus confided to citizens favourably known
for their ability, loyalty, and patriotism. The several
orders issued upon these occurrences were transmitted
by private messengers, who pursued a circuitous way to
the seaboard cities, inland across the States of Penn-
sylvania and Ohio and the Northern Lakes. I believe
that by these and similar measures taken in that crisis,
some of which were without any authority of law, the
Government was saved from overthrow. I am not aware
that a dollar of the public funds, thus confided without
authority of law to unofficial persons, was either lost or
wasted."
The Proclamation of Blockade was issued on the morn-
ing of the 19th of April. Upon the Secretary of State
of course devolved the duty of preparing and perfecting
its details. My father had bestowed upon these much
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A College Classmate i6i
care and forethought, in view of the many warnings al-
ready received from abroad that advantage would be
taken by foreign Powers of any opportunity to evade and
nullify it.
The Confederates themselves, at the outset, had little
apprehension that they would find it any serious trouble
or annoyance. They knew that otu" navy was entirely
inadequate to make such a blockade "effective," and
they had plenty of asstu-ances from England and Prance
that anything in the nature of a "paper blockade" would
be disregarded. "Cotton is Kling," was the exultant
cry, "Etu-ope must have it for its factories"; and the
South had almost a monopoly of the staple itself, with
twenty or more seaports to ship it from, and millions of
slaves to cultivate, convey, and ship it.
Having possession of "King Cotton," they confidently
believed that that potentate would ensure them the aid
and comfort of all others. It would give them continued
trade and assure them of ample resources for carrying on
the war.
These expectations were doomed to disappointment,
for by the activity of the Government at Washington,
and that of its vicegerents in New York, the army and
navy were increasing with magic rapidity. Whole fleets
of transports and gunboats were called into existence,
and dispatched to the scene of hostilities.
A College Classmate. In the freshman class at Union
College in 1845, Daniel Butterfield and I were the young-
est members. We were friends all through our college
days, and graduated together in 1849. Then we drifted
apart, he to Utica and New York, I to Albany and Wash-
ington. Then for ten years we saw no more of each other.
In April, 1861, after the fall of Fort Sumter, and the
first call for seventy-five thousand volimteers, Washington
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i62 A College Classmate
was in an excitement bordering on panic. The Seces-
sionists had cut the telegraph wires, and torn up the rail-
road tracks and bridges, cutting off communication with
the North. They were erecting batteries on the Potomac,
and the city seemed practically beleaguered. It was still
a Southern town, and predictions were freely made that
within a fortnight it would be captured by the Confeder-
ates. The small detachments of regular troops and
the companies of district militia organized for the inaugu-
ration were able to guard the public buildings and sup-
plies, but there was no force to repel such an invading
attack as we might any day expect. Excited crowds
thronged the streets and buzzed in the Departments.
My room at the State Department was filled with
visitors, officials on business, members of Congress with
their prot6g6s, who wanted offices, consulates, clerkships,
claims, or commissions, reporters who came to get news,
or to bring it, and loungers and rumour-mongers who
appear at such times like birds of ill omen. I noticed
in the crowd the face of my old college friend, Butter-
field. Taking him by the hand, I said :
"Why Dan, where did you come from? And what are
you doing here."
"I am going back home, tired and disappointed," he
said. "I thought I might be of some service, but find I
am not wanted. I have been all day at the War Depart-
ment, and can't get a hearing. The halls and rooms are
crowded. The doorkeepers say they are not allowed to
take any more names, or cards, to the Secretary of War.
The officials are all too busy to listen, or, if they listen,
have no power to act."
"What was it you wanted at the War Department?"
I asked.
"Only permission to bring my regiment on here, to
defend the capital. I supposed troops were wanted."
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A College Classmate 163
"So they are, and urgently and immediately. There
must be some misapprehension. Come with me, and I
will go back with you and get you an audience with
Secretary Cameron."
We hastened over to the War Department and found
things as he had described. Of course I was known to
messengers and doorkeepers, and my official name gave
me immediate access to the Secretary's room. He was
sitting at his desk, which was surrounded by an eager
crowd, the foremost of whom seemed to be haranguing
him on the merits of something he wanted to sell to the
Government.
"Mr. Secretary," said I, "here is my friend, Colonel
Butterfidd, who has something to say to you that I think
you will be glad to hear."
"What is it, Mr. Seward?"
"He has a regiment to offer to the Government."
"Why, Colonel, that is just what we want. What is
your regiment?"
"The Twelfth New York State Militia, sir, of which
I am commander."
"But are they armed or equipped or clothed?"
"Yes, sir, and tolerably well drilled. We foresaw some
time ago that there might be trouble, and so we got in
readiness to respond to any call."
"And how soon could you get them here?"
"Within twenty-four hours after receiving orders to
start."
"But how can you get through? You know communi-
cations with New York are cut oflf."
"We will march through Baltimore, sir. Or we can
come round by sea, and up Chesapeake Bay and the
Potomac. I have made a provisional arrangement with
the steamer Coatzacoalco, which is all ready to bring us
on.
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164 A College Classmate
"Are you sure, Colonel, that the Govemment can rdy
on these statements of yotirs?'*
"I believe the Secretary of State will vouch for'me, sir."
When this assurance was confirmed, the Secretary of
War looked much relieved.
"Well, Colonel, your regiment will be very welcome.
You shall have your orders, at once."
Butterfield hurried oflE. When, soon after, the Twelfth
New York came marching up Pennsylvania Avenue, it
received an ovation of cheers, accompanied by the waving
of flags, hats, and handkerchiefs, like all other early comers
*'to the front."
The Twelfth was assigned to Franklin Square for its
camp ground. Its white tents and neatly kept camps in
the heart of the city, its well drilled companies in their
parades and tactical exercises, drew continued throngs
of visitors and made it a fashionable resort. Colonel
Butterfidd's prompt address and soldierly bearing made
him a favourite at the War Department, and the Twelfth
was one of the first to be sent out on active service.
In May, when additional regiments were to be raised
for the regular army. Secretary Cameron notified my
father of ofl&cers needed for New York's quota and asked
for names for new commissions. My father suggested
that of Butterfield for a Major's place. Secretary Came-
ron heartily assented, and Butterfield was appointed.
Before the year was over, he was promoted to be a
Brigadier-General. Then, for bravery in battle, he was
again promoted to be Major-General, and in 1862 had
become Chief of StaflF in the Army of the Potomac
His subsequent career is a part of the history of the
war. After its dose, he resigned and went into business
in New York — where, a few years later, he became Assist-
ant Treasurer of the United States.
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General Scott 165
Somewhere toward the close of the century, I was at-
tending a banquet of the Alumni of Union College. But-
terfield, as President, had on his right hand General
Miles, then the Commander-in-Chief of the army, while
I sat on his left. Introducing us to each other, he said:
"General, it was my friend Fred Seward here who put
me into the army."
"Have you ever thought, Butterfield,'* said I, "where
you would be now, if you had stayed in it?"
"No," said he, "but, by George, I believe I would
have been at the head of it, — ^for I was Miles's senior in
service!"
General Scott General Scott's services to the Union,
at the outset of the Civil War, have never been fully
appreciated. His military experience and unswerving
loyalty greatly helped to save Washington during the
interregntmi between the Presidential election and the
inauguration.
He was bom in Virginia, like Lee, but if his ideas of
fidelity to the Government had been like those of his
subordinate, Washington might have been in the hands
of the Confederates before Lincoln was inaugurated.
"Old Fuss and Feathers," as they called him when
they tried to drive him out of his responsible trust, was
inflexible in his devotion to the Union. It was not easy to
protect the capital from its enemies plotting in its midst.
So. strong was President Buchanan's desire to avoid a
clash of arms during his time, and so widely had the
notion spread that the Federal Government "could not
coerce a State," that General Scott was hardly allowed to
order to Washington a slender guard for the inauguration
ceremonies. As for reinforcing the Southern forts, that
was eflfectively blocked by the Secessionists, until too late
even for provisioning themu
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i66 General Scott
After the disunion members of the Cabinet left in
January, and Dix, Stanton, Holt, and King were among the
President's trusted advisers, it became possible for the
General to summon small detachments of regular troops
and post them where they could be of service. With the
help of Colonel Stone, he also organized an effective force
out of loyal companies of the District militia. So that
danger was tided over.
The General favoured every form of conciliation that
would avert war. When war proved inevitable, he set
vigorously to work, in spite of his seventy-five years and
infirmities, to maintain and defend the Union, organize
and equip its armies, and plan its campaigns.
After the fall of Fort Sumter, and the first call for
troops by President Lincoln, the Confederates seized
railroads and telegraphs, cutting off Washington from
communication with the North. It became like a be-
leaguered city. While hoping for and expecting its de-
fenders, there was no assurance that they were on their
way. The General took up his post, by night as well as
by day, at the War Department. In the middle of one
night, I was roused up by one of the several scouts we had
sent out for news.
He brought the welcome intelligence that the Eighth
Massachusetts, the Seventh New York, and Seventy-first
New York regiments had landed at Annapolis and were
in possession of the navy yard. The railroad having
been torn up by the enemy, they would march across
country to the capital. I took the bearer of the good
news over to the War Department, and found General
Scott wrapped in a military cloak and stretched on a
settee. He rose with difficulty, but was at once alert
and ready for business. He summoned his staff, and
before daybreak he was issuing orders about routes and
rations, and advising how obstacles and surprises were
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General Scott 167
tx> be avoided. Thenceforward every incoming regiment
marched up Pennsylvania Avenue to salute the President
and the Commanding General, and receive their orders as
to their location and their duties.
By the end of April, ten or twelve thousand troops had
arrived and others were on their way. It was my father's
custom, at this period, after the Department closed for
the day, to take an afternoon drive to visit the camps of
the different regiments. Frequently the drive was ter-
minated by a call upon General Scott, at his office or his
lodgings. In either place, his sturoundings were those
of active military service, the sentry pacing before his
door, the orderly sitting in the hall, the aides-de-camp at
their respective desks, and the General's table covered
with maps, dispatches, and calculations.
One day, while exchanging news and comparing views,
my father remarked: "We are gathering a large army.
What I do not yet foresee is how it is to be led? What
are we to do for generals?"
"That is a subject, Mr. Secretary," said the old com-
mander, "that I have thought much about. If I could
only mount a horse, I — " then checking himself, with
a shake of his head, he added, "but I am past that. I can
only serve my country as I am doing here now, in my
chair."
"Even if you had your youth and strength again,
General, it might not be worth as much to us as yotu*
experience. In any case, you would need commanders
of military training to carry out your orders."
"There are few who have had command in the field,
even of a brigade," said the General. "But," he added
reflectively, "there is excellent material in the army to
make generals of. There are good officers. Unfortu-
nately for us, the South has taken most of those holding
the higher grades. We have captains and lieutenants
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i68 General Scott
that, with time and experience, will develop, and will do
good service."
Proceeding to name over several officers, or West Point
graduates, in whom he evidently felt interest and pride,
he mentioned McClellan, Franklin, Hancock, Hooker,
Mansfield, Sherman, Sumner, Halleck, and others actually
or recently in the army.
"There is one officer who would make an excellent
general,*' he continued, "but I do not know whether we
can rely on him. He lives not far away, and I have sent
over to see. I had expected to hear from him today.
If he comes in tomorrow, I shall know."
" I will not ask his name until you hear from him, then.
General, though I think I can guess whom you mean."
A day or two later, reverting to their conversation on
the subject, my father remarked:
"You were expecting to hear from some officer you
thought well of. Did you? "
"Yes," said the General, "it was too late. He had
decided to go 'with his State,' as the phrase is now. I
am sorry, both on our account and on his own."
That was the turning point in the life of Robert E.
i^ee.
At the beginning of the conflict we had a rapidly grow-
ing army, and capable officers to organize and drill it.
But there was no one except General Scott to devise a
general plan of campaign. The Administration had no
member who had ever "set a squadron on the field," and
our military commanders had not yet become versed in
the problems of "great strategy."
Scott therefore was the authority to whom all turned.
His "plan of campaign" was submitted to the Cabinet.
It was simple and yet comprehensive. Briefly it was, to
fortify Washington, and mass a great army in and aroimd
it; this army, at the outset, to be held and used, not as
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General Scott's Stories 169
an aggressive, but a defensive one, and as a base for expe-
ditions elsewhere. Meantime, to begin aggressive opera-
tions by marching another army down the Mississippi,
dearing the river, fortifying it, and opening it to com-
merce. This would cut the Confederacy in two, and
weaken it, both in men and resources, for the final struggle,
which would doubtless take place at the East.
The plan was approved and pursued. In the coming
months and years, there were frequent departtires from
it, due to impatience or miscalculation, and nearly all
ending in disaster. But, reverted to again, it was, on
the whole, the line of policy which led to ultimate success,
by opening the way for the final ** great strategy" of
Grant and Sherman.
May, 1 861.
General Scott's Stories. General Scott's massive mili-
tary figure and dignified demeanour were rather awe-
inspiring to strangers. In social life, his conversation was
always entertaining and his anecdotes often amusing.
One of his stories, when the subject of dreams was under
discussion, was of an incident of the battle of Chippewa,
in 1814.
On the eve of the engagement, for which both Americans
and British were preparing, he was sitting in his head-
quarters, issuing orders and arranging for the disposition
of his forces. Unexpectedly, there appeared in the door-
way the familiar form of a friend engaged in mercantile
pursuits in Philadelphia.
"Why my dear fellow," said he, "what in the world
brings you here? Always glad to see you, — ^youknow —
but really I haven't time to talk to you. It is a very in-
opporttme time for a visit. We are just on the eve of a
battle, probably tomorrow morning. You will have to
leave me now, and come again later."
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170 General Scott's Stories
"Yes/* his friend replied, •*! understood you might be
having some fighting about now. In fact, that was what
brought me up here."
"How can that be? You are a civilian, and are run-
ning into unnecessary danger, where you can be of no
use."
"Don't let me interrupt you. General. Go on with
your work. I think 1*11 stop over here tomorrow. I
can get an army blanket, and lie down for the night
anywhere out of the way."
"But what possible object can you have in such a
proceeding?"
"Well, General, I have been a good deal disturbed by
a dream I had lately."
"A dream? What has that to do with it?"
"Why, I dreamed I was in a battle. And while the
battle was going on, I ran away. Then I woke up, and
wondered whether I really was such a coward. It has
worried me ever since. So I came up here to see."
The General laughed. "Why, my dear friend," said
he, "that's nothing. Everybody runs away in their
dreams. We are swayed by momentary impulses in our
dreams — ^not by reason or judgment. That doesn't
prove you a coward."
"Perhaps so," his visitor said, doubtfully, "but I'd
like to find out."
All the General's argxunents could not move him from
his purpose. Finally he said : "Well, if you insist on stay-
ing, there is certainly work to be done, even by civilians.
You can serve as a volunteer aide, and I'll pron:use you
that you'll get under fire."
"Just what I want," said the visitor.
Sure enough the battle came on, hot and heavy. All
the General's aides were soon dashing across the field, on
various errands. Only the volunteer was left.
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Saint Cyr Cadets 171
"Do you think you could carry an order to Colonel
so and so, whose regiment is posted on yonder hill?"
"Tryme/*
In another moment, he was on his way — regardless of
the hail of bullets. Back to report, he asked for another
order and another. So he fought gallantly all day, till
the victory was won.
Scott congratulated him. **Now you have found your
true vocation. You are a soldier. I am sending my
dispatches to the War Department, and shall ask a com-
mission for you, on my staff."
"Oh, thank you. General, but I am not looking for
military glory. I have found out that I am not a coward.
That was all I came for. I shall go back to Philadelphia
now to my business perfectly contented and satisfied."
And that was just what he did.
Saint CJyr Cadets. Once, when in France, the General
went to make a visit to the military school of St. Cyr.
He found a group of young cadets gathered around an
old soldier, and listening eagerly to his stories of Napoleon's
campaigns. He was a sergeant of the '*01d Guard."
He was telling them of the charge up the hill at the battle
of Austerlitz. Even the "Old Guard " was twice repulsed
with fearftd slaughter, losing more than one third of its
whole number. Then, said Frangois, "I heard the order
of the officer reforming our lines, and saying, *En avant,
mes braves, that battery must be taken.' "
"Oh, Frangois," interrupted one of the young cadets,
"how did you feel when you heard that dreadful order?"
"Fed," said Frangois, "feel— why, I felt to the left,
to be sure, how else should a soldier feel?" (French
soldiers kept in touch with their comrades with the left
elbow.)
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172 Circular Dispatch on the Military Situation
The Circular Dispatch on tiie Military Situation. "Wars
and rumours of wars," is but a mild expression for the
mass of wild conflicting rumours and reports, mistakes
and misstatements, misrepresentations and falsehoods,
that pass under the name of "news" in time of
war.
So manifestly contradictory and unreliable was the
news sent out from Washington during April and May,
1861, that my father decided to prepare once a week a
circular dispatch to each and all of our diplomatic repre-
sentatives abroad, a concise and reliable statement of
the news received by the Government, from its army and
navy. This was entitled **The Circular Dispatch on the
Military Situation." It was usually prepared by his own
hand, so that it might be free from all exaggeration. It
was continued throughout the war.
Our ministers abroad found themselves much aided in
their work by this weekly circular. Not only was it
useftd to them in contradicting unfounded reports, but
foreign governments themselves soon learned that if they
wished to keep themselves posted on the events of the
war, they could rely on the advices received by each
American minister for accurate facts, instead of trusting
to the chaotic utterances of the press, or even the dis-
patches, necessarily based on imperfect information, of
their own legations at Washington.
Of course, these circulars amounted in the course of
four years to a considerable volume. Mr. Baker, in his
fifth volume of SewarcTs Works, has gathered them all
together, under the title of Diary or Notes on the War.
Now, after the lapse of half a century, I find they offer
a convenient compend of the history of the war. Events
and dates are there set down in exactly the order in which
news of them was received each week by the Government
at Washington.
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Under Fire from a French Frigate 173
Under Fire from a French Frigate. In the early part
of President Lincohi's Administration, a French frigate
(I think the Gassendt) came up the Potomac on a visit
of observation, and lay for a time at anchor just off the
Washington navy yard, which was then under command
of Captaia (afterwards Admiral) Dahlgren. The usual
courtesies were exchanged between ship and shore.
One day the French Minister, M. Mercier, brought
her captain to present him to the Secretary of State. He
said they would esteem it a special favour, if the President
would visit the Gassendt and receive from her a national
salute. It was a graceful suggestion, and would tend to
promote international friendship. Our relations with
the French Government had already been somewhat
strained, and threatened to become more so.
So the Secretary thought it would be good policy to
accept the invitation. Mr. Lincoln expressed his willing-
ness to go, and remarked that, as yet, he was not very
familiar with war- vessels, and would like to see how the
French frigate looked.
A day was appointed, and I drove down with him to
the navy yard. Neither of his private secretaries ac-
companied him, but there were two other young men.
Received with due honours at the navy yard, he was es-
corted to the barge of the commandant, manned by half
a dozen sailors. Captain Dahlgren himself took the tiller
ropes, and we were pulled rapidly out toward the ship.
She lay with her bows pointing out into the stream, so
we approached under her stem. She was gay with bunt-
ing in honour of her distinguished guest. Her crew were
beat to quarters, and her commander and officers in full
uniform were at the gangway to welcome him. Presenta-
tions followed, drums rolled and bugles sounded, while
the Stars and Stripes were unfurled at the top of the
mainmast.
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174 Under Fire from a French Frigate
Champagne and a brief conversation in the captain's
cabin came next; then a walk up and down her decks to
look at her armament and equipment. Though the sur-
rotmdings were all new to Mr. Lincoln, he bore himself
with his usual quiet, homely, impretentious dignity on
such occasions, and chatted affably with some of the
officers who spoke English. The visit over, we were
escorted to the side ladder, and re-embarked in our barge.
As Mr. Lincoln took his seat in the stem he said: ''Sup-
pose we row aroimd her bows. I should like to look at her
build and rig from that direction." Captain Dahlgren
of coiu^ shifted his helm accordingly. The French
officers doubtless had not heard or imderstood the Pre-
sident's remark, and supposed we were pulling off astern
in the ordinary way.
We had hardly reached her bow, when, on looking up,
I saw the officer of the deck pacing the bridge, watch in
hand and counting off the seconds, "Z7n, deux, trots,'*
and then immediately followed the flash and deafening
roar of a cannon, apparently just over our heads. Another
followed, then another and another in rapid succession.
We were enveloped in smoke and literally "under fire"
from the frigate's broadside. Captain Dahlgren sprang
to his feet, his face aflame with indignation, as he shouted:
"Pull like the devil, boys! Pull like hell!"
They obej^ed with a will, and a few sturdy strokes took
us out of danger. After he had resumed his seat and
calmed down, I said in a low voice: "Of course those guns
were not shotted, and we were below their range?"
He answered, gritting his teeth, "Yes, but to think of
exposing the President to the danger of having his head
taken off by a wad!"
I did not know, tmtil he explained, that the wadding
blown to pieces by the explosion sometimes commences
dropping fragments soon after leaving the gun. Whether
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Why Maryland did not Secede 175
Mr. Lincoln realized the danger or not, I never knew. He
sat impassively through it, and made no reference to it
afterwards.
August, 1 861.
Why Maryland did not Secede. On a bright summer
day in 1861, callers at the White House in Washington
were informed that the President had gone out for a drive,
and that he was accompanied by the Secretary and Assist-
ant Secretary of State. When more curious observers
noted the course of the carriage, they saw that it stopped at
the door of the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac.
Presently, General McClellan came out and joined the
party, taking the vacant seat. The carriage was then
rapidly driven over toward Georgetown Heights. It was
a natural and reasonable conclusion, that the official
party had gone up to inspect the camps and fortifications
now beginning to cover the hills in the direction of Ten-
nalljrtown. So the event was duly chronicled in the
press, and the statement was deemed satisfactory by the
public.
But, on reaching the Heights, there was no. stop for
inspection, and only cursory glances were bestowed on
camps and troops. The occupants of the carriage had
been generally silent while passing through the city, but
once outside of the military lines they began to converse.
"General Banks will be expecting us, I reckon," ob-
served the President.
"Yes, sir," replied General McClellan. "I have
telegraphed him. He will meet us at his headquarters,
at Rockville, and will provide a quiet place for conference."
"I suppose," queried General McClellan, in turn, "that
General Dix has his instructions also."
"Yes," said Mr. Lincoln. "Governor Seward went
over to Baltimore a day or two ago, and spent some hours
with him at Fort McHenry. So he is fully informed."
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176 Why Maryland did not Secede
"Then he will take care of the members in that part of
the State?"
The Secretary of State smiled: "General Dix's views
on the subject of hauling down the American flag are
pretty well known. He can be depended upon."
The carriage whiried on, as fast as the rather rutty
and broken roads would permit, imtil, some hours later,
it drew up at the door of a tavern in the little village of
Rockville, which for the time was in use by General Banks
as his headquarters. He was in command of a district
of rather uncertain size, with a limited force, posted to
the best advantage to watch the river crossings. His
aides and a squad or two of soldiers were with
him.
He greeted his visitors courteously, and soon after
led the way to a small grove near by, which had shady
seats and no obstructing bushes. Here they could con-
verse freely, without being overheard, or even seen, imless
they themselves noticed their observers.
The purpose of the conference was then unfolded and
discussed. It was in regard to a measure that it was
thought wise not to trust to paper or to subordinates.
The Secessionists had by no means given up the hope
of dragging Maryland into the Confederacy. The Legis-
lature was to meet at Frederick City on the 17th of Sep-
tember. There was believed to be a disunion majority,
and they expected and intended to pass an ordinance of
secession. This would be regarded as a call to active
revolt by many who were now submitting to Federal rule.
In Baltimore and throughout Maryland the bloody ex-
periences of Virginia and Missouri would probably be
repeated. Governor Hicks was a loyal Union man, but
would be unable to control the Legislature. The Union
members were understood to be divided in opinion as to
the expediency of going to Frederick to fight the proposed
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Why Maryland did not Secede 177
ordinance, or staying away, in the hope of blocking a
quorum.
The Administration, therefore, had decided to take a
bold step that would assuredly prevent the adoption of
any such ordinance. To forcibly prevent a legislative
body from exercising its functions, of course, savours
of despotism, and is generally so regarded. But when,
departing from its legitimate functions, it invites the
public enemy to plunge the State into anarchy, its dis-
solution becomes commendable. So the Admmistration
reasoned and decided.
As few persons as possible would be informed before-
hand. General Dix and General Banks, commanding re-
spectively the eastern and western portions of the State,
were instructed to carefully watch the movements of
members of the Legislature who were expected to respond
to the summons to Frederick. Loyal Union members
would not be interfered with. They would be free to
come and go, perform their legislative duties, or stay
away, just as they pleased. But disunion members
starting to go there would be quietly turned back toward
their homes, and would not reach Frederick City at all.
The views of each disunion member were pretty well
known, and generally rather loudly proclaimed. So
there would be little difficulty, as Mr. Lincoln remarked,
in "separating the sheep from the goats."
It was late in the evening when the carriage party re-
turned to Washington. Sentries had been posted for the
night, but the commanding General had the countersign,
and all reached their homes quietly without observation.
The public anxiously awaited the coming of the eventful
day which was to determine whether Maryland would
sever her connection with the Union. When the time
arrived which had been appointed for the assembling of
the Legislature, it was found that not only was no seces-
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178 France and England vs. United States
sion ordinance likely to be adopted, but that there seemed
to be no Secessionists to present one. The two generals
had carried out their instructions faithfully, and with tact
and discretion. The Union members returned to their
homes rejoicing. No ordinance was adopted, Baltimore
remained quiet, and Maryland stayed in the Union.
Of course the Administration were prepared for the
storm of invective that was hurled at them through the
press. Their "high-handed usurpation" was said to be
paralleled only by "the acts of Cromwell and Napoleon."
But even the denouncers were somewhat mystified as to
the way in which things had happened. Cromwell and
Napoleon were more spectacular, but Dix and Banks were
equally effective.
There are still some who unconsciously lament these
events in the history of "My Maryland" to the melodi-
ous strains of Lauriger Horatius. But Union men and
disunion men alike had good reason, during the next
three years, to thank God that Maryland had been spared
the misery and desolation that overtook her sister Virginia.
France and England vs. the United States. Early in
the war, we learned through the Legation at St. Peters-
burg that an understanding had been effected between
the governments of Great Britain and France that they
should take one and the same course on the subject of the
American war, including the possible recognition of the
rebels. Later, this understanding was distinctly avowed
by M. Thouvenel to Mr. Sanf ord at Paris.
This alliance for joint action might dictate its own terms.
From a joint announcement of neutrality, it would be
but a step to joint mediation or intervention; and it was
hardly to be anticipated that the Washington Government,
struggling with an insurrection which had rent the country
asunder, would be willing to face also the combined power
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France and England vs. United States 179
of the two great empires of Western Europe. To the
mind of the French and English statesmen the project was
even praiseworthy. It wotild stop the effusion of blood
and increase the supply of cotton. It would leave the
American Union permanently divided; but that was a
consummation that European statesmen in general would
not grieve over.
On the morning of the 15th of June, a scene occurred
at the State Department, which, though it has elicited
but cursory attention from the historian, has had more
influence on the affairs of the nation than a pitched
battle.
My father was sitting at his table, writing dispatches,
when the messenger announced:
"The British Minister is here to see you, sir, and the
French Minister also."
''Which came first ?••
"Lord Lyons, sir, but they say they both want to see
you together."
He instinctively guessed the motive for so tmusual a
diplomatic proceeding. He paused a moment, and then
said:
"Show them both into the Assistant Secretary's room,
and I will come in presently."
I was at my writing table when the two ministers en-
tered. We exchanged the usual salutations, though I
fancied I perceived there was an air of rather more than
usual constraint and reserve in their manner. They sat
down together on the sofa.
A few minutes later, as they were sitting there side by
side, the door opened and my father entered. Smiling
and shaking his head, he said:
"No, no, no. This will never do. I cannot see you
in that way."
The ministers rose to greet him. "True," said one
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i8o France and England vs. United States
of them, "it is unusual, but we are obeying our in-
structions."
"And at least/* said the other,, "you will allow us to
state the object of our visit ? "
"No,^' said my father, "We must start right about
it, whatever it is. M. Merder, will you do me the favour
of coming to dine with me this evening? Then we can
talk over your business at leisure. And if Lord Lyons
will step into my room with me now, we will discuss what
he has to say to me."
"If you rrfuse to see us together " began the French
envoy, with a courteous smile and shrug.
"Certainly I do refuse to see you together, though I
will see either of you separately with pleasure, here or
dsewhere."
So the interviews were hdd severally, not conjointly,
and the papers which they had been instructed to jointly
present and formally read to him were left for his informal
inspection. A brief examination of them only was neces-
sary to enable him to say, courteously, but with decision,
that he declined to hear them read, or to receive official
notice of them.
His next dispatches to our ministers at London and
Paris informed them of the event. To Mr. Dayton he
said:
"The concert thus avowed has been carried out. The
ministers came to me together; the instructions they pro-
posed to read to me differ in form, but are counterpart in
effect. This is conclusive in determining this Govern-
ment not to allow the instruction to be read to it."
To Mr. Adams he added:
"We should insist, in this case, as in all others, on deal-
ing with each of these Powers alone. This Government
is sensible of the importance of the step it takes in declin-
ing to receive the communication."
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The French Princes ( i8i
July, 1861.
After Bull Run, From the window of the State Depart-
ment we looked down u*x)n a motley crowd of demoralized
soldiers and curious civilians which thronged tb(5 streets
for a day or two after the battle of Bull Run. Our chief
subject of anxiety was not so much^the ppssibility^ of re-
trieving the disaster, as the certain effect that the event
would have_upon opinion in Europe.
Meanwhile my father saFat his desk penning these
words for his "circular dispatch on the military situation."
"You will receive the account of a deplorable reverse
of our arms at Manassas. For a week or two that event
will date the friends of the insurgents in Europe, as it
confounded and bewildered the friends of the Union here
for two or three days. The shock, however, has passed
away, producing no other results than a resolution stronger
and deeper than ever, to maintain the Union, and a prompt
and effective augmentation of the forces for that end.
The heart of the country is sound. Its temper is now more
favourable to the counsels of deliberation and wisdom.
The lesson that war cannot be waged successfully without
wisdom as well as patriotism has been received at a
severe cost, but perhaps it was necessary."
The French Princes. The Emperor of the French
was a student, as well as a sovereign. And he had con-
vinced himself that the best and most enduring form of
government was the imperial one. The lives of Caesar
and of Napoleon were the models that he set up for his
own imitation. There were other opinions in France, but
it was realized very early in our war that he regarded
the Republic, for which we were battling, as doomed to
defeat. Unfriendly action by him might therefore be
looked for, and intervention, if a pretext for it could be
found.
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i82 The French Princes
Among those who dissented from this opinion, it was
rumoured that his cousin Prince Napoleon Jerome was
an outspoken friend of the Federal Union. How far his
views would influence the action of the Government was,
of course, unknown.
In August, 1861, it was announced that Prince Napo-
leon was coming to visit the United States. Arrived off the
Battery, in his steam yacht the Catinat, accompanied by
the Princess Clotilde, his wife, and his suite, he spent a
day or two in New York harbour. I was sent to wel-
come him and invite him, on behalf of the President and
Secretary of State, to visit Washington.
He met me at the gangway, gave me a courteous greet-
ing, and, in excellent English, said it would give him great
pleasure to accept the invitation. Then, taking me aft,
he presented me to the Princess, who was in the cabin.
Reaching Washington a few days later, my father re-
ceived him, and presented him to the President. A state
dinner was given in his honour. Another at the French
Legation was followed by one at the Secretary of State's
residence, and that by an evening reception at which
the diplomatic corps, cabinet officers, and military com-
manders were present. As he stood on the hearth rug,
wearing a white vest with red ribbon and decorations,
and with his hands behind his back, his features, hair,
and attitude showed a startling resemblance to the pic-
tures of the first Napoleon, — a resemblance that he was
said to cultivate, although he was a trifle taller than his
uncle,
. At the President's dinner, the marine band was sta-
tioned in the vestibule. The bandmaster was desirous
of giving airs appropriately French, but being a German
was not versed in Parisian politics. So, instead of the
imperial air Partant pour la Syrie, he struck up, in one
of the solenm pauses incident to every state dinner, the
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The French Princes 183
Marseillaise. As that revolutionary lyric was tabooed
in Paris during the Empire, a smile appeared on the faces
of the guests, as they looked toward the Prince. He took
it very good humouredly, saying: ^*Mais, out, je suis
Republicain — en AmSrique.''
Republican he certainly was, as regarded the war. His
belief in the Union, and his cheerful talk of its coming
triumph, were all in strong contrast to the undertone of
despondency in the conversation of those aroimd him.
He was much interested in army matters, and drove out
with my father to visit several of the camps, and study the
character of this novel organization of citizen soldiers.
The French Minister, M. Mercier, who still kept up
his acquaintances with leading Confederates, now came
to know whether there would be any objection to allowing
the Prince to pass "through the lines,'' in response to an
invitation which the Confederate generals had sent him.
There was none, and so, accompanied by the French
Minister, he visited the Confederate headquarters, both
armies allowing him to pass through their lines.
When he returned he said he had been treated with
courtesy and hospitality. He of course refrained from
speaking of what he had seen or heard. But it was mani-
fest from his general conversation that his opinions on
the outcome of the war had imdergone no change.
In another month, three princes of the royal house of
Orleans arrived in Washington, the Prince de Joinville,
son of King Louis Philippe, and his two nephews, the
Comte de Paris and the Due de Chartres. The Comte de
Paris was the lineal heir of the throne of France. Sharing
in the traditional friendship of their house, they had
come to proffer their services, and peril their lives for the
Union.
Of course they were welcomed by my father, who ar-
ranged the preliminaries for the entrance of the yoimg
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184 The French Princes
princes into the army. They were assigned to positions
on General McClellan's staff. ^
How well and faithfully their duties were performed
has been told by General McClellan, who wrote that:
"Par from evincing any desire to avoid irksome, fa-
tiguing, or dangerous duty they alwajrs sought it, and
were never so happy as when some such work devolved
upon them, and never failed to display the high qualities
of a race of soldiers."
While the army remained at Washington, they occu-
pied a house on I Street. They were frequent visitors at
our house. One day at lunch, my father remarked: "I
should think your names and titles might occasion some
embarrassment. What do your brother officers call you? '*
"Oh!" said the Due de Chartres, laughing, "that is all
arranged. My brother is Captain Paris, and I am Cap-
tain Charters, and we are excellent friends with all our
comrades."
Still another member of the family came over to enter
the service. This was the Prince de Joinville's young son,
the Due de Penthidvre. He was placed at the Naval
School, which, during the war, was moved to Newport.
He subsequently entered the navy, serving with credit
and gaining promotion.
As the French Legation represented the imperial govern-
ment, the members of the exiled royal family never en-
tered it, and had no intercourse with its officials. At the
Brazilian Legation, on the other hand, they were honoured
and welcomed guests, the Prince de Joinville having
married a sister of the reigning Emperor of Brazil.
Invited on one occasion to the Brazilian Legation I
found the dinner was a family celebration in honour of
"Peter." Peter had come over on a cruise across the
Atlantic, and had been intrusted with the navigation of
a ship. He was the "navigating officer."
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Mount Vernon in War Time 185
"So," I said, "I perceive human ambition goes in
circles. When you are once a royal prince, the next grade
that you can aspire to is to be a sailing master.'*
"Prince," asked my father of the Prince de Joinville,
one day at lunch, "how long do you think this Empire
will last in France?"
The Prince smiled, and, taking up his plate and turning
it round, he said: "Governments in France come round,
so, in succession. I should give the Emperor ten or twelve
years at the most."
The Empire fell in 1871.
Mount Vernon in War Time. There used to be a good
old custom on the Potomac River the observance of which
was always impressive. When a naval vessel or a passen-
ger steamer came abreast of Moimt Vernon, the flag was
lowered in salute, the engine stopped, and the bell tolled
as the steamer drifted slowly past the home and grave of
George Washington. Even during the hurry and strife
of the Civil War, the custom was not entirely forgotten.
While the Civil War was raging, the banks of the Poto-
mac were the scenes of many bloody conflicts. Armed
vessels patrolled the river. Fortifications were erected
on its heights. Armies encamped along its shores. The
sound of cannon or musketry daily echoed over its waters.
Homes and fields were abandoned by their owners, for
none felt safe against the raids of the scouting or foraging
parties of the Union or Confederate troops.
But there was one exception. Both sides respected
Mount Vernon. Neither army sought to occupy or for-
tify it. No foraging or plundering took place within its
precincts. The old furniture stood peacefully in the old
rooms. The old trees stood unharmed in the old groves.
It was the one bit of neutral ground in that long and
bloody war. Reverence for Washington's home an^
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1 86 The Trent Case
memory hardly needed to be inculcated by the command-
ers, for it was implanted in the heart of every soldier,
whether he was a Northern man or a Southern one.
There was a story current in those days — I do not know
how far it was true — ^that the old mansion was left in
charge of two persons, a man and his sister. He was a
Union man. She was a sympathizer with the Confeder-
acy. When the visitors approached from the river side,
they were presumably from the Union gunboats, and he
went out to meet them. When they approached from
the landward side, they were presumably from the Con-
federate camps, and she went out to greet them. But it
made little difference. Whichever they were, they all
came as friends, and were received as such.
When Prince Jerome Napoleon, with his suite, visited
Washington during the war, he inquired about Mount
Vernon. "Is it in yotir hands, or held by the enemy?"
"Neither, Prince," was the reply. "It is sacred, and
treated as neutral groimd."
One of the French visitors remarked: "ii prSsent vous
avez la guerre, mats pour lui, c'est toujours la paix''
It was an augiuy of the coming time when we should
find that there were some things we could not divide.
We had found we could not divide the glory of George
Washington. In due time we were to find that we could
not divide the Union he had founded, nor the Flag he had
unfurled over it.
1861-1862.
The Trent Case. With the intelligence of military
success came another piece of news, which was hailed
with similar public rejoicing. This was the taking of
Mason and Slidell from the British steamer Trent, and
their incarceration at Port Warren in Boston harbour.
The Northern people applauded the act. Eminent pub-
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The Trent Case 187
Heists wrote in justification of it. Official approval was
warmly expressed at the Navy Department, and in Con-
gress. The idea that they might be reclaimed was
hardly mentioned. Any thought of their release was
scouted.
But a few days more, and the foreign mails brought the
Q^ws of the outburst of anger in England over the Treitt
affair, and the preparations for war with America. The
intelligence that it was regarded as not only an insult,
but an intentional one, was received with surprise. The
popular exultation had been over the discomfiture and
capture of the rebel envoys. The incidental question
as to what Great Britain would think of it had excited
little attention.
Doubts began to be felt, and to find expression in the
press, as to what might be the outcome. A faU in stocks,
and a sudden rise of the premium on gold, reflected the
popular apprehensions.
But as yet no one was prepared to relinquish the prison-
ers. Frequient inqtdries were made at the State Depart-
ment about the line of action to be adopted, but my father
declined to talk of the case until the expected communi-
cation from the British Government should be received.
Lord Lyons was equally reticent, and the newspapers
contented themselves with speculations on the probabili-
ties of war, and descriptions of the captives' life at Fort
Warren, usually winding up by asserting, "Of course
they can never be given up. The country would never
forgive any man who should propose such a surrender."
On the 20th of December Lord Lyons came to the De-
partment of State. He had received from the Foreign
Ofl&ce the demand of the British Government for the
liberation of Mason and Slidell. Before presenting it,
he would leave with the Secretary of State a copy for
his informal examination and perusal. This was quietly
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i88 The Trent Case
done, and the Secretary of State commenced the draft
of his answer before the arrival of the dispatch was gen-
erally known in Washington. Closing his door against
all visitors, he devoted one entire day to the preparation
of the reply.
It was long and carefully considered. It recited not
orly the story of the case, but made an elaborate analysis
and review of the principles of international law which
seemed to bear upon it. Arriving at length at a point
which was the gist of the whole controversy, he said: "I
have not been unaware that in examining this question,
I have fallen into an argtunent for what seems to be the
British side of it, against my own country. But I am
relieved from all embarrassment on that subject. I had
hardly fallen into this line of argument when I discovered
that I was really defending and maintaining not an exclu-
sively British interest, but an old, honoured, and cherished
America^ cause, resting not upon British authorities, but
upon principles that constitute a larger portion of the
distinctive policy of the United States. Theseprinciples
were laid down for us in 1804, by James Madison, when
Secretary of State in the Administration of Thomas Jeflfer-
son, in instructions given to James Monroe, our Minister
to England. The ground he assumed then was the same
I now occupy, and the arguments by which he sustained
himself upon it have been an inspiration to me in preparing
this reply."
He remarked therefore: "If I decide this case in favour
of my own Government, I must disavow its most cher-
ished principles, and reverse and for ever abandon its
essential policy. The country cannot afford the sacrifice.
If I maintain those principles, and adhere to that policy,
I must surrender the case itself. It will be seen, therefore,
that the Government could not deny the justice of the
claim presented to us, upon its merits. We are asked to
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The Trent Case 189
do to the British nation just what we have always insisted
that all nations ought to do to us."
Adverting then to the eflfect of this decision upon the
future relations of the two countries, he said: "Cases
might be found in history where Great Britain refused
to yield to other nations, and even to ourselves, claims
like that which is now before us. She could in no other
way so effectually disavow any such injury as we think
she does by assuming now, as her own, the ground upon
which we then stood."
He concluded with an expression of satisfaction that
"by the adjustment of the present case, upon principles
confessedly American, and yet, as we trust, mutually
satisfactory to both the nations concerned, a question is
finally and rightly settled between them, which for more
than half a centtuy alienated the two countries from each
other."
The Cabinet meeting which considered the question
was an anxious and earnest one. The Secretary of State
stated the case, and gave the substance of his views in
regard to it. Other members, not having studied the
subject, naturally shared in the popular feeling. "At
least," as one said, "we need not decide at once. Let us
settle it that we won't surrender them today. We can
meet again, and consider about it tomorrow." So the
matter went over.
After the other gentlemen had retired, the President
said: "Governor Seward, you will go on, of course, pre-
paring your answer, which, as I understand, will state the
reasons why they ought to be given up. Now I have a
mind to try my hand at stating the reasons why they ought
not to be given up. We will compare the points on each
side."
My father heartily assented. The mutual confidence
between the two had now grown so great, that each felt
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190 The Trent Case
the other would ask approval of nothing that was not
sound.
On the next day the Cabinet reassembled. The Secre-
tary of State again read his reply. There were some expres-
sions of regret that the step was necessary, but it was
adopted without a dissenting voice. The council broke
up reassured on the point that war with England was
averted, but not without misgivings as to the temper in
which the people would receive the decision. The Presi-
dent expressed his approval.
When the others were gone, my father alluded to their
conversation of the day before. " You thought you might
frame an argument for the other side?" Mr. Lincoln
smiled and shook his head. "I found I could not make
an argument that would satisfy my own mind," he said,
"and that proved to me your ground was the right one."
This was characteristic of Lincoln. Presidents and kings
are not apt to see flaws in their own arguments. But
fortunately for the Union, it had a President at this time
who combiued a logical intellect with an unselfish heart.
On the evening of Friday, there were several guests at
dinner at our house, among them Mr. and Mrs. Critten-
den, and Anthony Trollope, the novelist. Afterward came
friends who, hearing rumours of a decision in the Trent
matter, desired to have them verified, and to thank the
Secretary for extricating the country from its dilemma.
Coupled with their compliments, however, were many
regrets, that the act must inevitably doom him to un-
popularity, since the people would resent the loss of their
prisoners, and would deem themselves humiliated by their
surrender. "It was too bad that he must sacrifice
himself."
But now came the evidence of the sterling good sense
of the American people. When the decision was an-
nounced in the papers, its first visible effects were the relief
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The Trent Case 191
manifested by all loyal men, and the chagrin which the
disloyal could not conceal. Public confidence was re-
stored and renewed. Men meeting each other in the street
shook hands over it, and said : " Now we shall pull through."
Down dropped the premium on gold. Up went the
prices of United States stocks. Recrtuting officers showed
that volunteering was briskly renewed. The expected
storm of public indignation did not come. Nobody
seemed to feel humiliated. Nobody condemned the act
but the sympathizers with secession, and they shook their
heads over "Seward's infernal ctmmng."
A day or two later, when the public had time to read
the doctmient, and the newspapers had opportunity for
comment, it was seen that in returning Mason and Slidell
the United States had established beyond peradventure
the doctrine for which the War of 1812 was fought, and
had committed England to it also. Then the sense of
relief gave place to exultation. Thanks and congratula-
tions began to pour in upon the Secretary of State by every
mail. Apparently, instead of working his ruin, it was
likely to prove one of the most popular acts of his life.
The morning after the Secretary's reply had been for-
mally handed to Lord Lyons, and commtmicated by him
to his Government, Captain Fox, the Assistant Secretary
of the Navy, came for a confidential call. He warmly
conunended the decision and said : " Of course it is wise and
right. But now, as to the actual delivery of the prisoners.
That will be a somewhat embarrassing duty for any
navy officer to perform. No one would like to be chosen
for it, and I hardly know what ship or commander to
detail for the service."
"Of course," my father said, "it is a duty that natu-
rally belongs to the State Department, which will take
charge of it. Lord Lyons agrees with me that it should
be done unostentatiously. To avoid any public demon-
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192 The Trent Case
stration at Boston or dsewhere he will send her Majesty's
frigate Rinaldo to any point that we may designate to
receive the prisoners."
Captain Fox replied that he thought Provincetown, on
the tip end of Cape Cod, wotild be a safe and quiet place.
» So it was settled that the British frigate should proceed
to Provincetown.
I was called into the consultation, and undertook to
find a trustworthy officer of the State Department, who
would perform the mission with celerity, discretion, and
secrecy.
Mr. E. D. Webster, who had before discharged confi-
dential missions for the Secretary, was selected. He pro-
ceeded at once to Boston, hired a tug, and went to Fort
Warren, without attracting any public attention.
Captain Martin Burke, the commandant of the fort,
was glad to be relieved of his prisoners, and helped to
put them on board the tug.
Mason apparently was unf eignedly glad to get out of
confinement, but Slidell, who was more keen-witted and
sagacious, saw that their release would end the possibility
of the hoped-for clash between Great Britain and the
United States, and would be a blow to the Confederacy.
He, at first, flatly refused to be taken from Fort Warren,
tmtil a British ship should come there for him. Finding
this ground imtenable, and being warned that force, if
necessary, would be used, he consented at last to go on
board the tug.
Webster found the trip across Massachusetts Bay
rather rough and stormy, but uneventful, and both the
prisoners decidedly reticent. They found the Rinaldo
at anchor awaiting .them, and her captain ready to re-
ceive his imusual passengers with every respect and
courtesy.
The frigate weighed anchor at once, and proceeded to
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A Series of Victories 193
England. So the interrupted journey begun on the Trent
was finally completed on the Rinaldo, But it was a
question whether the prisoners who had so warmly re-
sisted capture by Captain Wilkes were not equally
chagrined at their release from the custody of Captain
Martin Burke.
Webster was back in Washington with his report and
engaged in his usual duties before the public had any
wind of his errand to Cape Cod.
February, 1862.
A Series of Victories. Several months of the war had
now passed. Begun without any military preparation,
at least as far as the North was concerned, it was not
strange that it opened with disasters. The work of en-
listing, equipping, and training the soldiers all had to be
done while hostilities were in active progress. But this
period had now passed. The work had been accomplished
with spirit and energy, and we had at last an army, with
commanders capable of effective action.
In his " Circular dispatch to ministers abroad " my father
was now able to say:
"Cloudless skies with drying winter winds have at last
succeeded the storm which so long held our fleets in em-
bargo, and our land forces in their camps. The Bximside
expedition has escaped its perils and is now in activity
on the coast of North Carolina. The victory of General
Thomas at Mill Spring in Kentucky has been quickly
followed by the capture of Fort Henry on the Tennessee
River, and the interruption of the railroad, by which the
insurgents have kept up their communication between
Bowling Green and Columbus. . .
"The success of the Union army in the West having
brQught the whole of Missouri and a large part of Ten-
nessee imder the authority of the United States, and having
13
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194 A Cruise between Two Armies
already a passage opened for us into Alabama, Mississippi,
and Arkansas, it has been detennined today to permit
the restoration of trade upon our inland ways and waters,
under certain limitations and restrictions.
" You will have noticed our successful advance down the
Mississippi and along its banks. Next week we shall
ascertain the strength of the obstructions at Memphis*
. . . General Butler, with an adequate land force, and
Captains Farragut and Porter with a fleet, are already in
motion to seize and hold New Orleans."
A month later he continued: "The events of the week
have been striking and significant, the capture of New-
bem by Bumside, with the consequent evactiation of
Beaufort and Fort Macon by the insurgents and the de-
struction by themselves of their own steamer Nashville —
the rout of the insurgents on their retreat from Winchester
to Strasburg by General Shields — ^the victory of General
Pope at New Madrid and the bombardment of Island No.
10 by Commodore Foote."
A few weeks later, he continued: "The victories of
Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, the occupation of Bowling
Green, Nashville, Mtuf reesboro, and Coltmibus, the cap-
ture of the fortified position of Island No. lo in the Missis-
sippi, with one hundred heavy guns, thirty pieces of field
artillery, and six thousand prisoners, are the events of
the week. Today the country is assuming that the fate
of this unnatural war is determined by the great event of
the capture of New Orleans, which was effected by a naval
expedition on the 24th."
May, 1862.
A Cruise between Two Armies. The tide of success
seems now to be flowing in our direction. General Mc-
Clellan is marching up the Peninsula toward Richmond,
and General McDowell is opening his way downward from
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A Cruise between Two Armies 195
Fredericksburg. Our fleets are patrolling the Potomac,
controllmg the entrances of the Rappahannock, the York,
the James, and the Elizabeth rivers, and mustering in
force at Hampton Roads.
The Secretary of the Navy deems this a favourable
time for an inspection of the fleets, and observation of the
progress of the joint operations of army and navy. He
has invited his colleagues, the Secretary of State and
the Attorney-General, to accompany him. Some of the
members of their families and of the official staff of their
Departments will be of the party.
Monday.
The river steamboat City of Baltimore^ which has been
fitted up for naval patrol and blockade duty, has been
selected as the one for this special cruise. Captain Dahl-
gren will be in command. She carries, for protection
against attack, two field howitzers, with muskets and
cutlasses for the crew.
The voyage should be an instructive one as a sort of
reconnoissance, enabling us to more fully comprehend
the relative position and strength of our own forces and
those of the Confederates.
Tuesday.
The Navy Department, of course, will be left in charge
of Captain Fox, during the absence of Secretary Welles.
Mr. Hunter will take charge of the Department of State.
We go on board this afternoon. Our party consists
of Mr. and Mrs. Welles and niece, Mr. Attorney-General
Bates, Mr. Faxon, Chief Clerk of the Navy Department,
and his son, Dr. and Mrs. Whelan, of the Navy De-
partment, and their son, Mrs. Goldsborough and Miss
Goldsborough, wife and daughter of the Commodore, and
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196 A Cruise between Two Armies
Mr. Goldsborough, the Commcxiore's brother, — ^all naval
people except Mr. Bates and ourselves.
We have two pilots and thirteen sailors, two howitzers
and two dozen muskets. We have as stewards Wormley
and his cook and waiters, and we carry coal and provisions
for a week.
Wednesday morning.
Leaving the Navy Yard yesterday afternoon, we came
down the Potomac, passing the evening in looking at
Fort Washington, Alexandria, Mount Vernon, White
House Point, Shipping Point, Budd's Point, and Martha's
Point, famous for their Confederate batteries — all now
deserted. We slept peacefully through the voyage during
the night down the lower Potomac. This morning we woke
up in the York River, between the earthworks of Yorktown
on one side and Gloucester on the other.
Wednesday night.
This day has been spent on the York River and the
Pamunkey. We passed on up the York River, full of
transport and provision ships, and saw the white flags
waving from the houses on either shore.
We reached West Point at noon, and found there the
gunboats and Franklin's battleground. Then we passed
on, up the Pamunkey, a stream as large as the Hudson
at Troy, and so winding that you go three miles to advance
one. We saw deserted houses, no whites, but many
negroes, who bowed and grinned obsequiously when they
saw the national flag. At three o'clock we reached Cum-
berland. There we found a clearing in the woods con-
taining two houses, suddenly transformed into a great
city of a hundred thousand people by the advent of Mc-
Clellan's army and its supporting fleet.
The General and his staff, with the French princes,
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A Cruise between Two Armies 197
Major Palmer, and several other Washington acquaint-
ances, came on board, and then took us ashore, up and
down the hills, through the camps, the Secretaries review-
ing ten or twelve thousand of Porter's and Franklin's men.
At night, the long lines of lights on the shore, the ship-
ping and bustle in the river, made it almost impossible
to beUeve we were not in the harbour of Philadelphia or
New York.
Thursday.
We passed safely down again through the sunken ships
with which the Secessionists supposed they had obstructed
the river, and woke up again this morning oflf Yorktown.
Proceeding on our way again in a drizzling rain, we
reached Fortress Monroe about noon. Here we foimd
spread out before us a great fleet at anchor in the Roads.
Thursday evening.
On arriving, we ran alongside the flagship Minnesota^
and took Commodore Goldsborough and h^ lieutenant,
and Mr. Tucker, Assistant Secretary of War, on board.
Then we steamed on, passing the Vanderbilt, the Arago^
the Ericsson^ the gunboats and the transports which
crowded the Roads, and so past Sewall's Point and
Craney Island, and the sunken Merrimac, up the Elizabeth
River to Norfolk.
Wrecks of vessels destroyed by the Secessionists lay
in the channel. The hulk of the old frigate United States
lay moored, ready to be sunk, but not sunk, because they
left it in too much haste.
We dined, and then, as the rain had stopped, went to
the wharf, and sent for General Vide, the Military Gover-
nor, one of my old schoolmates in Albany. He and his
staflf came on board, and after a little, a crowd gathered
on the wharf, sullen and sour and curious.
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198 A Cruise between Two Annies
The General pointed out one or two Union men, who
had stood firm through the long night of secession, and
they were called up on board to be congratulated. One
burst into tears on finding himself once more among
loyal men, under the old flag, and all were almost de-
mented with joy.
We went ashore and walked up and down the streets:
all the shops shut up, aU the doors and windows of private
houses closed, aU the population idle, a sentry at each
comer, a patrol in each street, no woman visible, and no
man, except now and then some exultant Unionist, ven-
turing to say a word.
" Do you see me," said one, taking ofiE his hat. "They
beat me and robbed me, and drove me from town, six
months ago, because I wouldn't hurrah for their cursed
flag. I've just come back home today. They hate to
see me in their streets as much as they hate to see you.
But the sight of the old flag and the sound of Hail Columbia
here pays me for all I've sujffered."
Returning on board, we steamed up to the frigate Sus-
quehanna and cast anchor for the night. She manned her
yards and fired a salute in compliment to the Secretaries,
while Norfolk sank into darkness like a city of the dead,
in strong contrast with the magic town sprung from
nought where we passed last night.
Friday.
This morning we steamed on up the river to the navy
yard. Portsmouth, inhabited mostly by working people,
is more loyal than Norfolk, and such as could get a Union
flag hung it out from their trees or chimneys. The Sus-
quehanna's band was on board, and, not desiring to
parade our triumph or gall the people's feelings, they were
told to play only airs without significance. But the
people who ran along the shore and cheered, called out:
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A Cruise between Two Armies 199
''Oh! play the Star Spangled Banner! Do let us hear
the Star Spangled Banner once more/'
And when they heard it, they shouted and criedi and
waved their hats, handkerchiefs, and anything they could
get; and seemed to be willing to follow for any distance^
to hear it still. The coloured folks were especially in
their glory — such an amount of coloured chuckling and
laughing had not transpired in Portsmouth for a year
at least.
We landed at what was the navy yard, and is now a
mass of smoking ruins. Long rows of crumbling walls,
and roofless, empty, charred brick buildings, piles of still
smoking ashes, docks and wharves torn up by gunpowder,
wrecks of vessels burned to the water's edge, cover many
acres.
A Massachusetts regiment was encamped among the
ruins, and one man, with Yankee readiness, had contrived
to establish a blacksmith shop out of the fragments, and
was driving a successful business, mending guns and shoe-
ing horses. A huge gun, burst in the middle, was recog-
nized as one which a ball from the Cumberland destroyc^l
on board the Merrimac, and Captain Dahlgren found it
one of his own make. The soldier who stood guard over
it asked me if I remembered, about eighteen months ago,
reading in the newspapers of a Boston shoemaker, crudly
beaten and tarred and feathered in Savannah for supposed
"abolitionism." I told him I remembered printing it in
the Albany Journal.
"I am that shoemaker,'' said he. "I enlisted in the
first Massachusetts regiment I could find, and I have got
so far on my way back to Savannah to see those gentlemen
again."
Returning to our boat, we found Captain Hewett, of
the British steamer Sinaldo, who had come to pay his
respects to the Secretary of State. The Binaldo took
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200 A Cruise between Two Armies
Slidell and Mason when they were released from Fort
Warren; and is now rettimed to Norfolk.
We steamed down the river again, stopping to look at
the deserted rebel fortifications on Craney Island and
Sewall's Point, and to get a piece of the wreck of the
Merrimac, — ^and so on to Fortress Monroe — landed again
— ^were received by General Wool with a salute and all the
honours — went on board \he Minnesota — ^were received by
the Commodore with a salute and all the honours there —
examined her armament, her five hundred men, her depths
of decks below decks, and machinery below them all —
and now we are returned to the wharf of the fort, where
we are to sleep tonight.
Saturday.
Saturday Commodore Goldsborough had fixed upon
for an expedition up the James River, to attack and
destroy the fortifications which the Monitor and Galena
had run by without reducing. At seven in the morning
the ships got under way in order of battle — a magnificent
sight. A large steam tugboat, tmder command of Lieu-
tenant Selfridge, with one large gun, led the way, to open
the attack, then at about an eighth of a mile behind came
the Dacotahf an equal distance behind her the Susque-
hanna, with the blue pennant of the Commodore, then
behind her the Wachusett, and behind her the Maratanza.
Last of all followed our boat.
We passed on up the river fifteen miles. We found the
first battery at Day Point; reconnoitered with the glass;
found it deserted and passed on. A few miles farther up,
the telescope showed a secession flag still waving over
"Fort Huger" on Hardy's Bluff.
We saw the signals hoisted on the flagship, heard the
drums beat to quarters, and saw the guns run out, as the
whole fleet slowly steamed up in line toward the fort.
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A Cruise between Two Armies 201
Presently a puff of white smoke from the tug, and then
the dull report of her gun. No reply from the fort. Then
the Dacotah veered slightly; and a larger puflf of smoke
from her, followed by a louder report. A second after,
we saw the shell burst over the fort. Then the Susque-
hanna opened with her hundred pounders, of which we
could see the flash as well as the smoke. Then the Mara-
tanza, just before us; and we saw the shells go, tearing up
the earth of the fort in a shower. Still no reply. The
flagship again signalled, the firing ceased, and a small boat,
filled with sailors and marines, with cutlasses and muskets,
pushed off from each vessel.
They landed, and ran up the bank like mad. Presently,
we saw the flag, staff and all, come down with a crash and
a hurrah. Then it went up again with the Stars and
Stripes substituted, and then another cheer. Then the
sailors returned, and the tug came alongside with an officer
to report that the enemy had evacuated the battery,
leaving all the guns, some shotted and ready for use,
their stores, their dinner half eaten, and the flag nailed
to the staff.
So the James River was opened. We started again up
the river, but f otmd nothing for some miles. At last, two
steamers carrying the Union flag hove in sight around a
point. They fired a gim when they saw us. We hailed
them, and sent for the conmianding officer to come on
board. He came, a young heutenant, the commander
having been wounded in a battle near Richmond. His
boat was the Port Royal, the other the Naugatuck. He
told us of the repulse at Fort Darling, and then went on
down to report to the Commodore, who came on board for
a consultation as to what next.
About dusk we started up again, to try to go up as far
as Jamestown, to see the ruins of historic interest. Three
of the gimboats went along to convoy us in safety. But
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202 A Cruise between Two Armies
the channel was crooked and shallow, and the pilot new.
The Wachusett went aground; then the Port Royal. We
left the Maratanza trying to draw her comrades off, and
went on alone. The shores were dark and desolate, the
river without a craft, and the night still and silent. Pre-
sently we went aground, but in a quarter of an hour we
were off again.
About eleven o'clock Captain DaMgren announced
that we were off Jamestown, though the river and shore
looked as dark and desolate there as anywhere else. To
guard against surprise, the lights were all put out, the
howitzers loaded, the muskets distributed to the crew,
and the steam kept up, ready for a start at a moment's
notice. But nobody disturbed us.
Sunday.
At daylight we were up to see Jamestown. The whole
of it consists of a ruined brick doorway of the old church
where Captain John Smith worshipped. There was one
house nearby, and an earthwork for a fort, from which
smoke was ascending. We sent a boat ashore. They
found the house and fort both empty; two dogs and two
"contrabands" were the only living beings. The "con-
trabands" reported that the people in the house and in
the earthwork, alarmed by our boat, had fled in the night.
They, the "contrabands," asked to come on board; so
the sailors brought them.
Soon after, a large boat was seen pulling down from the
direction of the rebel lines. Spy-glasses were brought
into requisition. The boat was heading directly for the
steamboat, but whether its occupants were armed could
not, at first, be ascertained. Presently an officer re-
marked: "I think they are all black, sir," — a welcome
announcement; for in that case they were all friends.
Sure enough, when it came nearer and drew alongside,
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A Cruise between Two Armies 203
the boat was seen to be filled with thirteen men, one wo-
man, and two children, in shabby clothes, but having
neither arms, provisions, nor pltmder. Not a word was
spoken, as they pulled fearlessly up to the gangway, until
the leader stood up and was preparing to climb on board.
"Ahoy, there,** called out the oflBcer of the deck.
"Who are you? Where are you going?"
The answer was respectful but sententious. "Going
along with yous, MasV."
"But you don't know where we're going. Don't you-
see that we are headed toward Richmond? What made
you come to us?"
The coloured spokesman grinned and pointed upward.
"Ain't afraid to go nowhar' with you, Mas'r, under
dat flag."
So they set their boat adrift, and confided their lives
and f orttmes to oiu- charge. The woman was as white as
Louisa, and the children whiter still. They said they
were slaves of Colonel Millroy and Colonel Stratton of
the Confederate army; that their masters had carried off
the com to the motmtains in North Carolina, and were
going to take them there. So they took a boat out of a
pond, carried it in the night on their shoulders, latmched
it on the James River, and met us. One of them said his
master "swore up to his waist " when he told them he was
going to take them to Carolina.
We turned oiu- steamer down the river again — passed on
without incident, except the discovery of plenty of Con-
federate barracks, sheds, and fortifications — all deserted —
rejoined the fleet, stopped at Newport News to pay a visit
to General Mansfield, were received with salutes, etc.,
saw the wrecks of the Cumberland and Congress^ the hole
made in General Mansfield's room by a shell from the
Merrimac, and finally returned to Fortress Monroe at
noon. Captain Gautier, of the French frigate Gassendi^ '
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204 A Season of Reverses and Depressions
came on board to pay us a visit. We landed our " contra-
bands" to go to work in the navy yard, except the woman
and children, whom we decided to bring to Washington.
Monday.
' We left Fortress Monroe last evening, had an tmevent-
ful voyage up Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac during
the night, and have arrived here safe and well today.
I cannot dose this chronicle of our "Cruise" better
than by quoting my father's comment on it in a letter to
his daughter Fanny:
"Our excursion into Virginia was very interesting and
very instructive. We saw war, not in its holiday garb,
but in its stem and fearful aspect. We saw the desola-
tion that follows, and the terror that precedes its march.
We saw, in the relaxation of African bondage, and the
flight of bondsmen and bondswomen with their children,
how Providence brings relief to some out of the crimes
and sufferings of our common race.
"All the hopes and fears and anxieties of this unhappy
strife renew themselves at this moment, and cluster about
the armies at Richmond and Corinth. The public mind,
accustomed to successes, is little disturbed — ^but for one
who has such responsibilities as mine, there is nothing but
unwearied watchfulness. I believe that the good cause
will prevail, but I know very well that it must encotmter
occasional reverses. I prepare to meet them."
July, 1862.
A Season of Reverses and Depression. When the news
came of the "Seven Days' Battles" on the Peninsula, the
first effect on the popular mind was that of incredulity and
bewilderment. Then succeeded conflicting arguments
over contradictory reports, and then followed general
consternation and alarm. It was claimed that McClellan
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A Season of Reverses and Depression 205
had only made a ''change of base/' But the ''change of
base" was evidently compiilsory. The base might be a
better one, but it was one he was forced to take. Every
one of the battles was claimed to have ended in a victory,
yet the general character of the movement was very like
a retreat. The army had behaved with great gallantry
and bravery, and the loss of life was fearful. But what
had been gained or lost? Perhaps a hiunorous bit in
Vanity Fair well enough expressed the state of the public
mind. Its war correspondent "MacArone" said: "Yes,
my boy, we have had a great victory. And now we want
to know who is to blame for it ! Believe nothing about the
army tmtil you see it in the newspapers. P. S. Believe
nothing that you ^ see in the newspapers."
General Heintzelman, afterwards, speaking of the move-
ment, said he had always seen the train of stragglers and
camp followers moving behind the army, but this time
they went ahead.
There were frequent and anxious meetings of the Cabi-
net, and a general command over all the land forces of the
United States was given to Major-General Halleck, who
came from the Western Department to the capital. It
was evident that a new appeal to the cotmtry for ad-
ditional troops was necessary. The Secretary of State
went to New York to stunmon a conference of all the loyal
governors, and to ascertain from them how many it was
safe to call for. He telegraphed the result of this confer-
ence and thereupon the President issued his proclamation
for three htmdred thousand men. The response to this
proclamation was more favourable than could have been
anticipated. On it was based the celebrated lyric: "We
are coming, Father Abraham, three htmdred thousand
more!"
The "Circular on the military situation" continued
its chronicle of events, sajring: "General Halleck, upon
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2o6 Farmers' Bo)rs in Battle
taking command of the army, made a careful survey of
the entire military position, and concluded thereupon to
withdraw the Army of the Potomac from the Peninsula,
and to combine all our forces in front of Richmond. The
measure was a difiScult and delicate one."
Three weeks later the "Circular" contained this:
" Military aflFairs here have taken an unfavourable direc-
tion during the last three weeks. The Army of the
Potomac, which was in command of General McClellan,
having evacuated its position on the James River, reached
the Potomac, near Alexandria, unpursued and in safety.
"The Army of Virginia, under General Pope, which
was advanced to the Rappahannock, was flanked by the
insurgents, in large force, and retired to Manassas. Here
it became involved in a series of severe engagements.
Meantime the insurgents, executing a long-cherished
design, advanced on the south side of the upper Potomac,
which at this season is fordable at many points, and,
crossing it at and above Edwards Ferry, occupied
Frederick. When there, menacing equally Washington,
Baltimore, and Harrisburg, they put forth an appeal to
the people of Maryland, to rise and join in the insur-
rection. Our troops having recovered from a temporary
disorganization, an army was immediately organized and
dispatched, under General McClellan, to meet the insur-
gents at Frederick."
June and July, 1862.
Farmers* Boys in Battle. Those were gloomy days
in Washington, during the latter part of June, in 1862.
High expectations had been suddenly extinguished by
the reverses in the campaign on the Peninsula. Union
men were disappointed and discouraged. " Copperheads"
were elated. Censures and complaints were rife. Ru-
mours of disaster multiplied.
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Farmers' Boys in Battle 207
The Cabinet realized that the situation had become
critical. They knew also of dangers that, as yet, the
general public were not aware of. Recruiting had fallen
off. The army itself was melting away, under the influ-
ence of casualties, desertions, discharges, and disease.
Large and speedy reinforcements were needed. How
could they be obtained? The reports from the recruit-
ing officers showed that popular feeling was even more
despondent in the great cities than in the cotmtry at large.
There were frequent conferences at the War Depart-
ment. Stanton was sending forward regiments, rations,
and supplies as rapidly as they could be obtained. The
President spent many hours there daily, so as to be in
immediate touch with the telegraph, bringing good news
and bad, and in consultation with the Secretary and the
military commanders. The Secretary of State arranged
to go north, to try to rouse popular feeling, hoping by
cooperation with the loyal governors and public bodies
to hasten the progress of enlistments, and, if possible,
to convert despondency into renewed enthusiasm.
Before starting for New York, he invited the members
of the New York delegation in the House of Represen-
tatives to an afternoon conference at his house. Congress
was near the end of its session. Its work had been practi-
cally done. It had aided the Government with such
legislation and appropriations as were practicable.
He suggested that they could now best help the Union
cause by hastening homeward, without waiting for the
adjournment, and endeavouring to aid in the work of
raising and sending forward the new troops so greatly
needed.
His suggestion met with hearty response. Such mem-
bers as could be spared from committee labours agreed
to go at once. Several believed they could do effective
work in that way. Some even declared they could organ-
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2o8 Farmers' Boys in Battle
ize new regiments, and bring them to Washington them-
selves before the reassembling of Congress. Wheeler,
Pomeroy, Van Valkenburg, Diven, and others started
home for this patriotic duty.
They accomplished it with speed and zeal, and the regi-
ments they raised were among the first of that great army
that soon was chanting, in response to the President's
proclamation:
"We're coming, Father Abraham, three htmdred
thousand more."
Two of the members whose districts adjoined each
other. Van Valkenburg and Diven, agreed to combine
their efforts, and so hasten the mustering of the first
regiment. It was a proud day for them when they
marched it along Pennsylvania Avenue, a thousand
strong, with the two Congressmen at its head, as Colo-
nel and Lieutenant-Colonel. They gave the President a
marching salute, and then were speedily hurried north-
ward to overtake and join the reorganized Army of the
Potomac, which was following Lee up into northern
Maryland.
They arrived while Lee and McClellan were confront-
ing each other, apparently on the eve of battle in the
vicinity of Sharpsburg.
The Colonel presented himself at headquarters to
announce their arrival and report for duty. General
McClellan received him.
"Your regiment are raw recruits, I believe, Colonel?"
"Yes, General, and the officers are about as raw as the
men. Hardly a veteran among them. Many of them
farmers* boys who have never handled a musket. But
they saw their fathers and older brothers 'go to the front'
last year, and they are eager to follow their example."
"Are they armed and equipped?"
"Yes, fully. Secretary Stanton saw to that."
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Farmers' Boys in Battle 209
"Have they had any drills, at all?"
"Hardly any. Hastily organized and lacking time
and drill-masters."
"What can they do?"
"Why, they are ready and willing to do anything they
can, if somebody will show them how."
"Can they support a battery, do you think?"
"I do not believe I quite know what that is myself,
General.
"Why, a battery of artillery is posted, say on yonder
hin, to throw shot and shell at the enemy. If the enemy
see that it is exposed, with no large infantry force to pro-
tect it, they will probably send out cavalry to capture it
by a dash or break it up. What you would have to do
would be to draw your regiment up in line and in rear of
the battery, so as to defend it, if attacked, and perhaps
discourage attempts to attack it. Can you do that?"
"Oh, yes, General, they can do that. They know how
to stand in line, at least."
"Very well, then, your orders will reach you this even-
ing. Don't let your men break, if you can help it. Colonel.
If you are attacked — do the best you can."
In the grey of the early morning, a battery of light
artillery was occupying the crest of the hill, and the
"regiment of farmers' boys" was drawn up in line behind
it. The artillery duel began, and was echoed by other
artillery duels going on, at right and left, on other similar
heights. A broad stretch of cotmtry was exposed to view.
Moving bodies of troops in the distance with puffs of
smoke rolling ever them, followed by roar of cannon or
rattle of musketry, made it an exciting and even exhilarat-
ing spectacle — ^though its method or plan was unintelligible
to the spectator.
At first there seemed to be little hint of danger to the
new soldiers. But presently they began to hear the whis-
14
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210 Farmers' Boys in Battle
tling of bullets in the air overhead, or saw them tearing
up the ground at their feet. Evidently, the Confederate
sharpshooters were "getting the range." Soon a soldier
dropped his musket and fell with a groan, a spurt of blood
on his uniform showing where he was hit. The Colonel
ordered two of his comrades to take him to the improvised
hospital in the rear. Before they returned to the ranks,
a similar "casualty" occurred at another part of the long
line. They were "tmder jfire."
The Colonel and Lieutenant-Colonel strode up and
down in front of the line, from end to end, with brief
words of encotuagement. "Steady, boys, steady."
"Stand firm." "Keep to the ranks." "You're doing
your duty." "Don't forget you're defending the old
flag." "Whatever happens to us, we mustn't let that
battery be taken." The men looked at each other and
at their officers, as they saw their comrades fall, but said
little. One muttered: "I wish the Johnny Rebs would
charge, or we could. I'd rather fall fighting than stand
here to be shot at."
And now the fire grew hotter and fiercer. Not only
hissing bullets, but screaming, bursting, death-dealing
shells began to come over from the enemy's lines. Killed
and wounded men lay on the grass at their feet. "Hell
had broke loose."
An aide-de^'amp, carrying orders to some distant regi-
ment, came galloping past, in their rear. Without stopping
his gaUop, he shouted as he went by:
"You d d fools, why don't you lie down?"
It was a rough but welcome salutation. They had
not supposed they could lie down. Even the Colonel
had not known that to be any part of the game.
Availing himself of the implied order to "get under
cover," he ordered the regiment to asstmie a less exposed
attitude, telling them to continue to show enough of
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Farmers' Boys in Battle 211
themselves, or of their caps and bayonets, to let the enemy
see that they were still there, and ready to resist attack
and "protect the battery." In this recumbent position,
the casualties were much less frequent. Bullets whistled
over them and fragments of shell passed by them, that
would have killed them, if they had remained standing.
The horrible storm continued for hours, but at last it
began to show signs of slackening. Word passed from
man to man, and from regiment to regiment, that the
enemy were falling back, perhaps preparing to retire from
the field.
The rumours increased in number and persistence,
until at last, as the sim was setting, news came that General
McClellan announced a success. The Union army had
won a victory, and it would be known in history as the
"Battle of Antietam"!
In the evening, brigade and regiment commanders were
summoned to headquarters, to report the casualties and
experiences of their respective commands. The Colonel
found an excited and joyous crowd of officers exchanging
congratulations, and explaining the bandages and slings
that some of them were wearing. General McClellan
seized him by both hands.
•'Colonel, your regiment behaved splendidly. Never
saw raw troops do better. They held their ground like
veterans. How did you manage to keep them so firm
and steady?"
The modest Colonel said: "Well, General, perhaps it
was partly due to our ignorance of the art of war. We
did not know how to run away. We were put there
to support the battery, and so we just stayed on do-
ing it.
The General smiled. ** Your farmers' boys are good
fellows. They will make a fine regiment, and have an
honourable record. Give them my congratulations."
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212 The Military Situation
February, 1863.
The Military Situation. At the close of the second year
of the war, and the beginning of the third, the aspect of
the military situation was still indecisive. The victories
of Antietam and South Mountain had restored the popular
confidence, and recruiting was going on briskly. But
the two great armies, face to face with each other across
the Rappahannock, seemed inclined neither to advance
nor retreat. At the West, Vicksburg still held out against
a protracted siege. The Union troops were making
active movements with the general result of gaining
ground. The Southerners gained no new grotmd, but
stubbornly held their own.
As the winter wore on, there were two favourable and
two tmfavourable movements. General Bumside, who
was now in command of the Army of the Potomac,
crossed the river and made an attack upon the Confeder-
ates, but was repulsed with heavy loss, and retired to his
former position. In like manner. General Sherman made
an tmsuccessful assault upon Vicksburg, hoping to carry
the fortifications by storm. Repulsed, his army retired,
and tmder the command of General Grant resumed the
siege. The two victories to offset these defeats were a
victory by General Rosecrans at Murfreesboro, and the
capture of Arkansas Post with a large amotmt of military
stores by General McClemand.
Meanwhile the Government was continually adding
vessels to the navy, and had commenced the construction
of ironclads to take part in the blockade. But the
South was also active in this direction, chartering and
constructing numerous blockade runners, and, having
British sympathy on its side, had no difficulty in raising
loans, and purchasing arms and supplies. American
merchant vessels were exposed to capture by the enemy's
privateers or vessels of war, and so the American mer-
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Our Foreign Relations in the War 213
chant marine sustained a blow from which it has never
recovered,
Qtir y^r^^ign Pplafirm^ fa fliA War. As the progress
of the war developed new opportunities, redoubled energy
and daring were shown in blockade running enterprises,
as well as in sending information and supplies to the in-
surgents through the Union lines. The Southerners natu-
rally hated the blockade. The British as naturally shared
iiL-that fggUag. The South encouraged communication
in every possible way with England, while the North had
for its own safety to impose a vexatious system of pass-
ports, police surveillance, frontier guards, and blockading
squadrons.
Arrests and seizures were of frequent occurrence. Then
the Secessionists would avail themselves of the protection
of European governments for those engaged in these enter-
prises. Havana, Nassau, and the towns on the Canadian
frontier became favourite points of rendezvous. They
could meet, consult, and mature their plans with impvmity,
and could find there many whom cupidity or love of
adventure would lead to join them.
The authorities, both British and Spanish, were jealous
of interference by United States officers with any vessels
or persons under their jurisdiction. The vessels and men
engaged, if successful, loudly boasted of their connection
with the rebels, but when intercepted or captured declared
themselves "neutrals" and claimed the protection of
foreign governments.
An infinite variety of questions arose, and the shelves of
the Department of State to this day groan under the bur-
den of the documents and discussions to which they gave
rise. Many of the cases, arising tmder novel conditions
of modem warfare, were without any precedent to govern
their decision. Yet it was necessary, not only to render
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214 Our Foreign Relations in the War
exact justice, but to do it in a way that should not offend
the roused susceptibilities either of the American or the
forei|;n nation.
Sometimes a single seizure would give rise to half a
dozen different questions, while the "Laird rams," the
Florida and the Alabama, came up, in one shape or another,
by every foreign mail.
The Queen's proclamation of "belligerent rights" was
claimed as a convenient screen for all kinds of daiing
enterprises. They were further encouraged and stimu-
lated by London insurance companies. Those engaged in
them often obtained insurance on their vessels and cargoes
at Lloyds and other offices, at fifteen per cent, for running
in, and fifteen per cent, for coming out. Insurers were
tempted to share in these ventures by the enormous profits,
while the shippers and merchants made money if even
but half of their vessels got safe into port.
Unusual activity and unwonted industry pervaded the
Washington legations of all the maritime Powers. The
attach6s of the British Legation found themselves as
busy as hard-working attorneys' clerks. A dozen'commu-
nications a day would frequently pass between the Lega-
tion and the Department. There were vessels tmlawfuUy
detained, on suspicion of running the blockade; vessels
lawfully captured in attempting to run it; rebel cruisers
receiving aid and comfort in colonial ports; Federal cruisers
in the same ports denied ordinary courtesy; rebel ships
escaping the vigilance of British authorities; British ships
complaining of the surveillance of American ones; prison-
ers wanting to be released on taking the oath of allegiance;
prisoners taking it and breaking it as soon as released;
seamen claiming exemption because they were British
subjects; claims of shipowners for damages; intercepted
dispatches; vessels wrongly seized, or rightly seized but
wrongly dealt with; customs regulations not in accordance
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Our Foreign Relations in the War 215
with treaties; customs decisions not in accordance with
facts; duties that ought to be refunded; duties that ought
not to be collected; foreign subjects dainung exemption
from draft; enlisted soldiers claiming release as foreigners
after having spent their botmty money; officers arrested
as spies and spies escaping as clergymen ; rifles shipped as
farming implements, and gunpowder as white lead; rebel
munitions of war purporting to be "arms for the Indians" ;
and treasonable documents pretending to be ''Bibles for
the heathen/*
The French Government, like the British, had no faith
that our national Union would ever be restored, and from
time to time manifested its impatience at the continu-
ance of what it deemed our, hopeless struggle. On at
least seven different occasions, thfi. ptelimiaaiy stejw
towards intervention were taken, and only chedced by
diplomatic address on the part of the United States, or
by news of succfisa of Jthe.Unipn.arnis.
' First was the project of joint action with Great Britain '
already described. This was nipped in the bud in 1861.
Then the plan to make common cause with Great Brit-
ain in the "Trent Affair." This was thwarted by the
diplomatic settlement.
Next the notice given to the United States»,that the
manufacturing and commercial classes of France were
suffering from the depression caused by the blockade,
which prevented the export of cotton, and the import
of French goods at Southern ports. This "was chedced
by the capture of New Orleans and other ports, and
reopening them to trade under the flag of the Union.
' Then came the denunciation of the Federal Govern-
ment for temporarily obstructing Charleston harbour
by sinking vessels loaded with stone. This was answered
by saying that France herself had done the same thing,
under the Treaty of Utrecht, and had not only temporarily
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2i6 Our Foreign Relations in the War
but permanently closed a harbour, that remains closed
today.
In 1862, the Emperor's addr^s to the Chambers was
prepared, and contained an intimation that he was about
to take steps for active measures to break the blockade.
The secession advocates in Europe were jubilant over
the expected announcement, and stock speculators of
the London Exchange and Paris Bourse were going to
make their fortunes by its effects on the market. At the
last moment, the Emperor became convinced that the
step was a dangerous one, and the threatening paragraph
was stricken out. As the American Minister, Mr. Dajrton,
wrote: "The Emperor's address came; but it was not
what they expected. They said that just before its de-
livery the 'switch had been turned off, ' and forthwith the
British ministry, the London Times, and other portions
of the English press ran off along with it."
In 1863, the Emperor renewed his proposal, for. joint
interference in the American contest, sa3nng that if other
Powers refused, he would proceed alone. But, before
he was ready to do so, came the fall of VIcksburg and the
victory of Gettjrsburg, and the French Minister at Wash-
ington wrote his Imperial master that in view of these
great successes of the Union arms he had better wait still
longer.
The projected intervention was again and again at-
f tempted in some different form, during each succeeding
year. At one time, the plan was seriously discussed at
Paris of putting forward some small power like Belgitun
to pick a quarrel with the United States, and then the
two great empires, suddenly espousing that side of the
controversy, would be able jointly to crush the American
Government, thus drawn into a trap.
The latest and most dangerous perhaps of aU the French
movements was the expedition to set up an empire in
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Our Foreign Relations in the War 217
Mexico,joverthrowing the republican government there,
and menacing it in the United States. The French Minis-
ter of Foreign Affairs, M. Drouyn de THuys, in conversing
with Mr. Dayton, the American envoy, assured him that
France had no thought of conquering Mexico, or establish-
ing a permanent power there. "In the abandon of a
conversation somewhat familiar," added Mr. Dayton,
'*I took occasion to say, that in quitting Mexico France
might leave a puppet behind her. *No,' replied M.
Drouyn de THuys, *no, the string would be too long to
work.'"
In this opinion the Minister was sagacious and wise.
But ultimately he was overruled by the Emperor, who
had determined to try the experiment with Maximilian.
It resulted as M. Drouyn de THuys had predicted, "the
string was too long to work," and the unfortimate Arch-
duke finally lost not only the empire, but his life.
But all foreign governments were not unfriendly during
the war. The Latin-American republics, though they
could not give aid, did not withhold their sympathies.
Even the threatening cloud of European intervention
was relieved here and there by a ray of sunshine. Sweden
and Denmark sent words of sympathy. Italy expressed
the friendship that had been expected from her. Prussia
sent assurances of just and generous feeling. The Presi-
dent of the only republic in Europe wrote that Switzerland
regarded the struggle with the deepest anxiety, adding
that "Switzerland passed through a similar crisis foiu-teen
years ago. May God grant that the United States of
America may also emerge renewed and strengthened from
this crisis."
Mr. Hitz, the Consul-General of Switzerland at Wash-
ington, was a frequent visitor to the arriving regiments
on Capitol Hill, and relieved their wants as far as he was
able.
'.^ . -i
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2i8 Our Foreign Relations in the War
i Russia was a steadfast friend of the United States
\ during the war. In the volumes of diplomatic correspond*
ence, there are very few pages tmder tiie head of "Russia/'
\ and these contain only messages of amity and good will.
I Russia had no grounds of complaint for damages, or if
[she had she never presented them. The plan for an
\intercontinental telegraph, to connect the United States
land Russia by way of Behring Strait, and the survey of
[the route made under the auspices of the two govenunents,
thelped to promote the mutual good feeling.
J It was through the legation at St. Petersburg that
/Information was received of the design of France and
( England to enter upon a scheme of joint action adverse to
V the United States. Russia was invited to join in their
jplans for "mediation" and "intervention," but promptly
refused unless the United States should ask her.
I When the threatened "intervention" seemed, Jiexfir-
theless, to be impending, two Russian fleets appeared
n American waters, and passed summer and winter there.
e came up the Potomac to Washington, and subse-
ently visited New York. The other appeared at San
Francisco.
fficial announcement of their purposes might be em-
barrassing, and Prince Gortschakoff was a sagacious
diplomatist. He simply sent over the fleets, and in-
structed the Russian Minister to say that they came for
"no unfriendly purpose." The Government and people
of the United States intuitively understood that, while
their help might never be needed, yet if needed it would
be forthcoming. Courtesies and festivities were ex-
changed on ship and shore, between the naval officers
and the authorities at New York and Washington. The
Secretary of State gave an official dinner to the higher
officers of the fleet, and the Russian Minister responded
by another. Congress was invited as a body to visit the
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A Moorish Episode 219
fleet at the navy yard, and a great ball was held in the
Russians' honour at the New York Academy of Music.
The significance of these events was fully appreciated
at London and Paris.
February, 1862.
A Moorish Episode. Quaint, mediaeval, and Sara-
cenic, the city of Tangier rises out of the blue sea, toward
the commanding heights of the African shore. The castle
and fortifications, with their frowning walls, give it a
formidable air, and the glare of its whitish buildings in
the blazing sun give it an aspect of cleanliness, which
is not borne out by closer inspection of its narrow,
unsavoury streets.
A motley population, of all complexions, throng these
streets, shouting at each other in a babel of tongues.
Prankish and Mahometan, Jewish, Italian, Spanish, and
Portuguese. White turbans and black slaves, red fezzes
and gleaming simitars, dogs, donkeys, and camels, add
to the general picturesqueness, so that it has been aptly
said by a traveller that in Tangier one is never certain
whether he is living in the Old Testament or the Arabian
Nights.
To such a traveller, it seems odd to see the Stars and
Stripes gaily fluttering over one of the antique structures
with calm assertiveness. Tangier is one of the few places
in the world where the United States Government owns
the home of its diplomatic representative. The fact that
his flag has waved there undisturbed for more years than
any living man can remember lends to the American Con-
sul-General a prestige and dignity not always accorded to
consuls who lodge in shabby, shifting quarters, over shops.
Trade and intercourse with America are not great,
but "down along the coast of the High Barbaree" there
is a traditional respect for the American flag, handed
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220 A Moorish Episode
down from the days when the navy of the young Republic
amazed Europe by sweeping the Barbary pirates out of
the Mediterranean waters, where they had prowled and
plundered for centuries.
In the year 1862, the occupant of the Consulate was
Judge De Long, of Ohio. He was not much versed in
Oriental wiles or modem diplomacy, but he was a zealous
patriot, an honest lawyer, and an upright ofiScial. His
bltmt, straightforward talk was sometimes displeasing^to
his European colleagues, but it impressed the Moslem
authorities, whose ears found it a novelty after many
years of listening to glib phrases uttered in every language,
from modem Parisian to ancient Sanskrit.
One February morning news was brought to the Con-
sulate that two well-dressed Americans, with an air of
authority, were sauntering through the streets of Tangier,
indulging in offensive and insulting remarks about the
American flag and its Consul, and expressing views in
general that were highly derogatory to the honour of the
United States.
Further inquiry easily discovered who they were, for
they made no secret of it. One was called Ttmstall and
said he had been acting as United States Consul at Cadiz,
until the previous stumner. The other was Myers, for-
merly in our navy and now lieutenant of the Confederate
cruiser Sumter , which was lying in the port of Gibraltar,
where she had put in for coal.
Greatly scandalized by such proceedings, the Judge
remarked: "American citizens may plot treason and re-
bellion at home, but they shall not do so where I am, if
I have the power to prevent it." Thereupon, he promptly
dispatched a messenger to Sidi Mohammed Bargash, the
Minister of State, with whom he held intercourse and
requested that a file of soldiers should be sent to aid him
in dealing with some traitorous fellow-countrjrmen.
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A Moorish Episode 221
Treason and rebellion are not uncommon offences in
Morocco, where the constituted rulers regard them as
cardinal sins, and the usual penalty for them is decapi-
tation.
When Sidi Mohammed Bargash inquired what the
Consul-General wished to have done with his malefactors,
he was relieved to learn that the Judge did not ask to have
their heads cut off, nor to have them thrown into the
dungeons of the castle, but only to have them delivered
imder guard at the door of the American Consulate.
The soldiers were sent. They overtook the offenders,
who were leisurely proceeding toward the French steamer
on which they were about to re-embark. The Moorish
soldiers arrested them and marched them up to the
American Consulate.
Now some explanations from them were in order.
They began to expostulate. Their arrest, they declared,
was absurd, an egregious blunder. They were peaceable
travellers in a foreign land. True, they were at war with
the United States, but Morocco was neutral soil, and
nobody had a right to stop them there. They pointed
out that international law, and the rtdes of neutrality,
entitled them to immunity from arrest. In fact, accord-
ing to law, the Consul could not arrest them.
The Judge's reply was succinct and to the point. He
said he not only could arrest them, but that he had.
They declared they would appeal for protection to
the European Powers, all of whom would demand their
release.
The Judge intimated that they might appeal to all the
governments in Christendom, if they chose; but that
it would take considerable time. Meanwhile, they were
under the jurisdiction of a Mahometan one, which was
friendly to him and to the United States.
Finding him deaf to persuasion and argument, they
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222 A Moorish Episode
dispatched a communication to the French Consul,
stating their case. They had come over for a pleasure
trip across the Straits, on the French steamer V^ de
Malaga, intending to re-embark on her in the evening.
They had been arrested and locked up, tmder a guard of
four Moorish soldiers, without any warrant or justifica-
tion. They asked his interposition to end this absiud
state of affairs.
The reply of the French Consul was courteous but
diplomatic. He regretted their detention. But they
were not French subjects, and when they left the French
steamer and landed on Moorish territory, he had no right
to protect them, nor to interfere in any way whatever.
A similar application to the British Minister, Mr.
Drummond Hay, met with similar imsatisfactory results.
Firstly, the Minister said, he had no power to interfere, and
secondly. Her Majesty's Government had given positive
instructions to her ministers and consuls to observe strict
neutrality in this unhappy American contest.
The prisoners were not disheartened. Like their
captor, they were quick-witted, resolute Americans, so
they cast about for other help. Surely, there must be
plenty of sympathizers with the Southern cause here in
Tangier. They had fotmd them at Gibraltar, at Cadiz,
in fact, everywhere that the Sumter had touched. It
seemed ridiculous that they should be left to lie here in a
Moorish prison.
They had heard that Moorish guards sometimes were
open to bribery. They mustered up a hundred dollars
in gold coins and a gold watch, and with them opened
negotiations.
Unluckily the Judge got wind of it, and promptly
stopped the bargain. Then he sent to Sidi Mohammed
Bargash for more guards, and ordered the prisoners put
in irons. Someone lent them a case knife, with which
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A Moorish Episode 223
Myers cut the rivets. He then jumped out of the window.
But he only landed in the cx>nsular courtyard, where he
was immediately caught and brought back to confinement.
But other instrumentalities were at work in their behalf.
Now appeared upon the scene no less a personage than the
Military Secretary of the Governor of Gibraltar.
He was the bearer of a letter to the Moorish Minister of
Foreign Affairs, from the commander of the Confederate
States steamer Sumter. It demanded the immediate
release of the prisoners, — ^implying that terrible things
would occur if the demand were not complied with. It
was a trifle arrogant in tone, considering that the Sumter
was out of coal, and was tmder close watch by the United
States warship Tuscarora, which was cruising off Algeciras.
But it had weight with Sidi Mohammed Bargash. He
immediately sat down to write a polite note to Judge De
Long, saying:
"We have received a letter from the captain of the
steamer Sumter^ from the Confederate States, in which
they inform us that the two men you have seized are of the
best of men, and they are guiltless, — except that they are
from the separated Confederate States. We have no doubt
that when you receive this letter, you will put them free."
This was couched in the politest of Arabic. The answer
to it was in vigorous American.
The Judge informed his Excellency: first, that there
was no government known or recognized as the " Confeder-
ate States, " either by the United States or the Empire of
Morocco, and that the captain and crew of the Sumter,
as well as the men in ctistody, were all citizens of the
United States resisting its authority; furthermore, that
the Sumter was a Federal vessel, seized by rebels, and
engaged in capturing, plundering, burning, and sinking
peaceable American merchant vessels. He concluded by
asking, "Shall seventy-six years of tminterrupted friend-
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224 A Moorish Episode
ship between your government and the United States be
brought to an end for the sake of pirates?"
By this time the sympathizers with the Southern
cause were actively stirring up the motley nationalities
in Tangier to disorder. They perceived that instead of
waiting for the slow action of the Moorish and Etu-opean
governments they might as well deliver the prisoners
themselves, by means of inflammatory speeches, indig-
nation meetings, and a mob.
The movement was started in the market-place, where
they had a table set out, with pen, ink, and paper, in the
middle of the street, and began signing and pledging them-
selves in solenm form to force the release of the prisoners
at all hazards. The mob, when gathered, would march
to the Consulate, groan, howl, curse and swear, break in
windows and doors, and, in the height of the ttmiult,
would free the men in spite of their guards.
Word of the threatening state of affairs in the market-
place was hastily brought to the Palace, where the Viceroy,
Prince Muley el Abbas, was enjoying a quiet smoke.
The Prince listened, and, calmly removing the nargileh
from his lips, remarked, "Allah is great. But what the
devil have these Christians to do with the American Con-
sul's prisoners?" He signified that it was the province
of the lieutenant-governor to take troops, and disperse
these riotous Christians.
And now comes another new and tmexpected actor in
the drama. Off the harbour appears the United States
warship Ino, flying the American flag. She heads for
the anchorage and prepares to exchange the customary
salute of twenty-one guns with the Moorish forts. Her
captain and officers come ashore in uniform and proceed
to the Consulate and the Palace, to make the usual calls
of ceremony. The Consul-General joins them.
The Prince and his ministers receive them with coiutesy.
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A Moorish Episode 225
Their requests are presented and are acceded to as entirely
reasonable. They are, that the Ino shall be allowed to
land thirty armed marines, who shall march the prisoners
from the Consulate down to the ship. The Moorish
troops will quell the mob and accompany the prisoners
to the beach.
All this is speedily done, within an hour or two. The
mob resolves itself into a gaping crowd of three thousand
spectators, who stand gazing at the departing warship,
carrying away those troublesome Americans.
Then comes to the Consulate a scroll fastened with red
cord, of which the substance is this:
''Praise to the One God!
"To the Clever and Wise Gentleman, Constd-General
for the American Nation.
"We continue to make inquiries for your welfare. We
are deeply penetrated with the expressions of gratitude
made use of at your interview with us for the assistance
we rendered you in removing the insults offered to you
by the Christian subjects, who surrounded the consular
residence, thus offering indignity to the American flag.
"We request you to express to your government our
sentiments of good will, and to assure them that the
friendship between us not only exists and continues,
but on our part has become confirmed and consolidated
by time; and that we heartily wish them the victory
(victorious as they always are) over those who have
rebelled against them and peace.
"El Abbas,
" Son of the Prince of the Believers.
" May he rest in Glory."
Out of the maze of ofl&dal documents and personal
statements, the story is gathered as here presented.
IS
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226 A Moorish Episode
Finally it fell to me, as acting Secretary of State, to "end
the diplomatic incident, " and dose the correspondence, by
a formal dispatch to the Consul-General, expressing our
appreciation and reciprocation of Morocco's friendship,
and adding;
"Good relations between the two countries have ex-
isted too long, to be in danger of disturbance from light
causes; and serious ones are not likely to spring up between
governments whose interest and whose desire it is that
they should cherish toward each other good will, and
practise frankness and justice.
"You wUl communicate these sentiments to the Prince;
and at the same time assure him, that his wishes for our
success over those who are waging an unholy war against
the government they had sworn to support are honourable
alike to his judgment and his feelings; and that they have
given much satisfaction to the President and people of
the United States.
"P.W.Seward,
" Acting Secretary of State."
After his release from Fort Warren, in Boston harbour,
which occurred some months later, Ttmstall came to
see me at the State Department. He agreed that there
was a spice of grim humour in the predicament which
unexpectedly overtook him and his friend at Tangier.
He said he should not have much minded being capttu^
as a prisoner of war, but that he was not quite prepared
to forgive "that Ohio Judge" for putting him in irons.
January i, 1863.
Signing the Emancipation Proclamation. New Year's
Day is always a busy one at the Executive Mansion.
The Diplomatic Corps, in official uniform, are presented
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Signing the Emancipation ProclamatiQn 227
to the President by the Secretary of State. Civil, military,
and naval officers are then received in due succession.
Meanwhile the porch, carriage ways, and sidewalk are
gradually filling with a gathering throng, awaiting the
hour of two o'clock, when the doors are thrown open to
the general public.
Thursday, January i, 1863, was marked by an event that
will always be memorable in history. Slaves, in all the
regions remaining in rebellion, were to be on that day
declared entitled to freedom. The Emancipation Pro-
clamation had been duly prepared at the State Depart-
ment, and was ready for President Lincoln's signature.
At noon, accompanying my father, I carried the broad
parchment in a large portfolio under my arm. We,
threading our way through the throng in the vicinity of
the White House, went upstairs to the President's room,
where Mr. Lincoln speedily joined us. The broad sheet
was spread open before him on the Cabinet table. Mr.
Lincoln dipped his pen in the ink, and then, holding it a
moment above the sheet, seemed to hesitate. Looking
arotmd, he said:
"I never in my life felt more certain that I was doing
right, than I do in signing this paper. But I have been
receiving calls and shaking hands since nine o'clock this
morning, till my arm is stiflE and numb. Now this signa-
ture is one that will be closely examined, and if they
find my hand trembled they will say 'he had some com-
punctions.' But anyway, it is going to be done."
So sa3dng, he slowly and carefully wrote his name
at the bottom of the proclamation. The signature proved
to be unusually dear, bold, and firm, even for him, and a
laugh followed at his apprehension. My father, after
appending his own name, and causing the great seal to
be affixed, had the important document placed among the
archives. Copies were at once given to the press.
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i26 A Visit to the Army of the Potomac
May, 1863.
A ^Hsit to the Army of the Fbtomac. A year ago this
month we made our "Cruise between Two Armies'*
in a naval vessel. This year we are to make a visit to
the Army of the Potomac, and to traverse part of
the same region, besides visiting other points not then
occupied.
During the year, both our own army and that of the
enemy have been increased and reinforced. Both have
extended and strengthened their fortifications. General
McClellan was then endeavouring to reach Richmond
by way of the Peninsula. Now, General Hooker is seek-
ing to reach it by way of Fredericksburg and the Rappa-
hannock.
Our present expedition is, in some respects, a diplomatic
one. The Secretary of State goes down to visit the
troops, and to confer with commanders. Some of the
members of the Diplomatic Corps have been invited
to accompany him, in order that they may better under-
stand the situation, and report to their respective govern-
ments concerning the condition of the army and the
magnitude of its operations.
Our party comprises eleven — Baron Gerolt, the Prussian
Minister, Baron Grabow, the Secretary of Legation, Mr.
Schleiden, the Minister from the Hanseatic Cities, Count
Piper, the Swedish Minister, Judge Goodrich, Secretary
of Legation at Brussels, Mr. and Mrs. Titian R. Peale,
and ourselves. The baggage, consisting of carpet bags,
shawls and overcoats, spy-glasses and maps, was packed
with us into three carriages, and we proceeded to the
Arsenal wharf over a mile of very rough and muddy
road.
At the Arsenal, the guard received us, and Colonel
Ramsey, the commandant, was waiting to escort us to
the boat.
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A Visit to the Army of the Potomac 229
Stinday evening.
Our boat is the Carrie Martin, a pretty little steamer
that used formerly to run between New York and Shrews-
bury, and is now used as a government dispatch boat,
carrying General Halleck, General Hooker, or the Presi-
dent, when business calls them, to or from Washington
and the army.
We have passed down the river, inspecting the fleets
of steamers and schooners, with which the Potomac is
filled nowadays.** Alexandria and Port Washington look
now all peaceable and quiet, as well as Mount Vernon,
where the bell tolls a passing salute according to the old
river custom.
Acquia Creek then came into view. Here was a busy
scene — a fleet of transports at anchor — tugs and steamers
whistling and puffing about — long rows of new impainted
wooden buildings, offices and storehouses on shore, with
piles of boxes, bales, and barrels, containing ammtmition,
provisions, muskets, clothing, shot and shell, and all the
supplies of a great army.
Crowds of soldiers and labourers thronged the wharf,
sick men going to the hospital, well men discharged or
f urloughed or returning to duty, oflScers superintending the
shipment of supplies; and all shades and sizes of "con-
trabands" in all manner of cast-off clothes of everybody
else, some at work, some basking in the sun.
The Quartermaster, Captain Hall, had a train waiting
to take us to Falmouth. The railroad is a military one,
and has only freight cars and locomotives. Oiu- train
consisted of one of the latter, and one of the former with
some wooden benches in it. Upon these we seated our-
selves and were whirled rapidly out of Acquia, through
cuttings and over embankments and bridges at the rate
of forty-five miles an hour.
The country presented a strange sight. Not a house.
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230 A Visit to the Army of the Potomac
not a fence, not a field, not a bush, nor hardly a tree.
Everywhere the bare ground, everywhere on the hiDs,
valleys, and plains, one vast encampment. Roads crossing
and recrossing each other in every direction. Groups
of tents, stockades, and earthworks. On every side,
bodies of troops on the march or at drill. Squads of
cavalry galloping to and fro, long lines of army wagons,
droves of mules and horses, sentinels pacing before camp-
fires, and soldiers scattered and rambling about every-
where. This was the scene for fifteen miles, which we made
in twenty minutes. Then came another collection of new
wooden storehouses. This was Falmouth Station.
We descended from the train, and got into a couple of
large ambulances, which took us another half-mile through
camps extending apparently without limit, up to General
Hooker's headquarters, — a large tent, with a small one
behind it. The General and hLs Chief of Staflf, General
Butterfield, received us very cordially, and made us im-
mediately at home, by assigning us a couple of tents near
his for our night's quarters. Mr. Peale had brought his
camera, and while we were talking, photographed the scene.
Then we made an excursion down to the river bank,
to look across at Fredericksburg. It lay in the shadow,
under the hill, — looking very quiet, peaceable, and near.
It made a fine picture for Mr. Peale, — the narrow river
in front, then the houses and steeples, with the backgrotmd
of lofty heights rising in the rear, covered with the rebel
tents and earthworks. On the river bank just below us
paced the Union sentries; and on the other side, just
opposite, we could see with distinctness the rebel sentries,
also pacing their rotmds. The two were near enough to
call to each other across the stream. There is a sort of
tacit understanding that the pickets shaU not fire at each
other, so they did not molest us, although the carriages
and the squadron of lancers which accompanied the
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A Visit to the Army of the Potomac 231
General as an escort must have attracted attention, for
we saw groups of curious observers, like ourselves, gather
on the wharves of Fredericksburg to look at us, and heard
them calling, one to another, though we could not dis-
tinguish the words.
Back to the camp again, through what is left of Fal-
mouth,— ^two houses only, the Lacy house and the Phillips
house. There were two or three more, which have been
destroyed. We supped with the General in his tent,
sat and talked till the drum beat for ''taps," and then
betook ourselves to our tents.
The three ladies had one; the seven gentlemen of the
party had the other. The beds were plank floor, the
pillows carpet-bags, the bedclothes army blankets. The
night was clear and warm, and we slept soundly.
Monday.
At five o'clock this morning, the drums and bugles wake
us with the reveille. Toilets are soon made in camp.
Then we strolled through the encampment and back to
breakfast, some with the General, and others with officers
of his staff.
At ten o'clock, the General had ordered a review of
General Sickles's corps, and columns of infantry, cavalry,
and artillery were already assembling. We rode on the
field at that hour, and found a magnificent spectacle.
The long lines of troops, with flags waving and arms
glistening in the sun, stretched more than a mile. A
cavalcade of officers accompanied the General, and, as
they galloped down the line, were received with drums
beating, colours saluting, and thousands of troops cheering.
It was an inspiring sight.
After the review of the troops, there came a review of
a wilderness of army wagons and ambulances, covering
the plain in long rows, as far as the eye could reach.
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232 A Visit to the Army of the Potomac
On our way back we asked the General how much
space the Army of the Potomac occupied m its encamp-
ments. He said that the distance around it was one
hundred miles, the distance through it from one side
to the other at least thirty. Beside the army corps which
we had seen pass in review, there were three others of
equal magnitude that today were marching toward the
Rappahannock to make the crossing.
After the review, the general officers of the corps were
assembled at Headquarters for presentation and con-
ference. And then we took oiu* leave.
The train landed us again at Acquia Creek. We
re-embarked on the Carrie Martin, and proceeded down
the river. The night was bright moonlight, and we
spent a good deal of it on deck.
Tuesday.
This morning we found ourselves in the York River,
and at ten o'clock reached Yorktown. Here General
Keyes and General Ruf us King came on board to welcome
us, and took us on shore with them.
After a salute of fifteen gtms, they took us round the
fortifications and earthworks — the labours of two great
armies. They are vast in extent and look impregnable.
Then we went to see the great gun fired. The roar was
deafening, and we saw the shell thrown from it burst
three miles away toward the Chesapeake.
Then we went through the town, which consists of but
few houses, and no inhabitants except troops and "contra-
bands." The houses are old and quaint. The bricks
for some of them were brought from England. Lord
Comwallis's headquarters, General Washington's head-
quarters, and the Governor's house were pointed out.
One was occupied by General Keyes and one by General
King. Mrs. Keyes had two or three ladies staying with
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A Visit to the Army of the Potomac 233
her — officers' wives and sisters. The General gave us
lunch.
Then we went down to the river, and across to Glouces-
ter Point, — rode around, and saw the earthworks and a
review of the garrison.
Then back again, and found at the wharf a gunboat
of the York River squadron. Captain Gilliss, her com-
mander, took us on board, gave us a salute of fifteen
guns, and then a crtdse up the river five or six miles,
beyond the lines of the army. Here he experimented
with his one hundred potmder, throwing shot and shell at
distant points on the shore. Returning we fell in with a
fleet of oyster boats, and got two or three barrels of the
famous York River oysters, one of which we agreed to
take to the President.
We took leave of Yorktown at five o'clock, and steamed
on down the bay. Dinner was over, and it was quite late
in the evening when we reached Fortress Monroe. Here
General Dix and some of his staff came on board, among
them a Prussian officer who had been a prot6g6 of Baron
Gerolt. We slept on board, under the guns of the fort.
Wednesday.
This morning General Dix took the Secretary of State
with him on an excursion to visit the beleaguered post
of Suffolk. The rest of us went on shore with Colonel
Ludlow and Dr. Gilbert, the Medical Director, to visit
the hospitals and the ruins of the village of Hampton.
The hospitals are very like those of Washington.
Hampton was, before the war, a pretty village, but it
was burnt by the rebel General Magruder in 1861. It
presents an odd appearance now. The "contrabands,"
who number several thousands, have encamped upon
its site. They have cleared away the rubbish, and then,
going out into the adjacent swamps, have cut down cypress
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234 A Visit to the Army of the Potomac
trees, which, after their fashion, they have split into
boards and shingles. With these they have built shanties
to live in. Of course, when the old houses were burned,
the chimnejrs were left standing. Each of the shanties is
ingeniously built around one of these chimneys, and the
appearance of a town of such diminutive houses, with
such majestic chimneys towering over them, is funny
enough.
The "contrabands" were all neatly dressed, cheerful,
and comfortable. They are employed by the Govern-
ment, and receive pay and rations. The most striking
ruin is that of the old English church, built before the
Revolution, and surrounded by the graves of British
oflScers.
Returning on board, we went over to Norfolk, which
we found in much the same condition as last year, only
much neater, thanks to military supervision, and with
a little more business stirring. There is still a strong
secession feeling there, which was evinced by sour looks
and suppressed remarks, as we walked through the streets.
We called on General Viel6, the Military Governor, but
did not find him at home.
Then we went over the ruins of the Gosport Navy Yard,
on the opposite side of the Elizabeth River, and then
back to Portress Monroe. A thunder-storm came up in
the evening, but was soon over; and we slept quietly
again under the gtms of the fort.
Thursday.
This morning we went ashore, and paid a visit to
the fortress. It is a strong and imposing fortification,
mounting hundreds of guns, and embracing seventy
acres within its massive stone walls. It is the largest
single work in this cotmtry.
Inside, the trees, the green grass, gravel walks, and neat
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A Visit to the Army of the Potomac 235
houses gave it the appearance of a stimmer resort rather
than a fort. We were received with the salute of the
usual fifteen guns, then visited General Dix's headquar-
ters; then returned to the Carrie Martin, and went over
to the Rip Raps.
This is a stone fortification constructed on a small island,
and covering the whole of it. The walls are several feet
thick, and the whole affair, island, fort, and all, looks as if
it was carved in stone. There is no room for a blade of
grass to grow. It is unfinished, and the workmen are
still engaged on it. The ship channel runs between
it and Portress Monroe; so that whatever passes will be
exposed to the fire of both.
Then we next steamed five or six miles up the James
River, to visit Admiral Lee's fleet, lying above Newport
News Point. The Admiral received us on board his
flagship, the Minnesota, with the usual salute. After
passing through her decks and looking through her heavy
armament, we went on board the Lehigh, one of the new
"monitors" in the squadron, and viewed her turret, her
little pilot-house, her monster gim, her compact cabins
under water, and so on. The ingenuity and strength these
vessds display seem even more striking when seen so
closely. The Sangamon, the Galena, and the Ossipee
are also in the squadron. We did not go on board of them,
but exchanged salutes by dipping ensigns and waving
hats as we passed them.
Then we ran into Norfolk to take in a supply of coal,
thence back to the fort ; and so ended another day.
Friday.
At sunrise this morning, we started on our way home.
It was a clear cloudless day: the bay as calm as a lake,
and the air like summer. We devoted the entire day to
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236 An Excursion with the Diplomatic Corps
the cniise up the Chesapeake and the Potomac, through
hundreds of vessels.
Once we passed through a fleet of forty schooners, all
moving in the same direction, and near .together, the
white sails glistening in the moonlight; and shortly after,
through another fleet of fifty more, riding, black and
silent, at anchor. The clock struck ten as we debarked
once more at the Arsenal wharf.
An Excursion with the Diplomatic Corps. The members
of the Diplomatic Corps were frequently asked by their
governments as to whether the war, so long protracted,
was not beginning to exhaust the energies of the com-
batants.
The Secretary of State had often told them that they
could learn little of the true state of the cotmtry by spend-
ing their summer vacations at Newport, Cape May,
Saratoga, and other places of fashionable resort, and had
often advised them to leave the seaboard and the great
cities, and visit the rural regions of the interior. He
saw how difficult it was for them to realize that the country
was not becoming exhausted, or that the causes which
led to the draft riots in New York might not be at work
in every town.
When he invited them to accompany him on a visit
to his home, in Central New York, "the heart of the
North," several of them signified that they would go
with willingness and pleasure.
Some of the diplomatic gentlemen started with him in a
special car from Washington, others joined the party at
New York. Its number varied at different stages of the
journey, but Lord Lyons, the British Minister, M. Mercier,
the French Minister, Senor Tassara, the Spanish Minister,
Commander Bertinatti, the Italian Envoy, Mr. Schleiden,
the Minister from the Hanseatic Cities, Mr. Stoeckl,
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An Excursion with the Diplomatic Coq)s 237
the diplomatic representative of Russia, Count Piper,
the Swedish Minister, and Mr. Molina, the Central Ameri-
can representative, continued through nearly the whole
journey.
They visited New York and its vicinity, they went up
the Hudson, then through the Valley of the Mohawk,
then over the hills into Otsego County, They saw Albany,
Schenectady, and Little Palls, visited Sharon Springs and
Trenton Falls; they spent a night at Cooperstown and
sailed on Otsego Lake. They went to Utica, Rome, and
Syracuse. They stopped at Auburn, visited Seneca Falls
and Geneva, traversed Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, saw
the mills and factories of Rochester, and the harbour of
Buffalo swarming with lake craft, and having its elevators
in full operation.
Hospitalities were showered upon them, more than
they could accept. Serenades greeted them in the
evening, with kindly invitations for the morrow. But
every day's ride was a volume of instruction. Hun-
dreds of factories with whirring wheels, thousands of
acres of golden harvest fields, miles of railway trains
laden with freight, busy fleets on rivers, lakes, and
canals, all showed a period of unexampled commercial
activity and prosperity.
Then the flag flying everywhere, the drum heard
everywhere, the recruiting offices open and busy; the
churches, the hospitals, the commissions, and the benevo-
lent associations, all labouring for the soldiers' care and
comfort; all attested the resources of an Empire, and the
self-reliant patriotism of a great Republic.
One of the ministers, writing to his government, said,
"The resources of the Northern States, instead of being
exhausted, seem practically inexhaustible."
A photograph of the party on the rocks at Trenton
Palls hangs in my library, and another at Auburn.
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238 Changing the Commanding General
Changing the Commanding General. Military men all
know that success or defeat in battle is a part of "the
fortune of war." The best of generals may sometimes
encounter a reverse, and sometimes a defeated commander
may, by experience and opportunity, retrieve his ill for-
tune by subsequent victory.
But, in our Civil War, events were influenced largely
by Congress, the press, and public opinion. A lost battle
was inmiediately followed by a damoiu* for a change
of commanders. As Postmaster-General Blair once re-
marked in Cabinet meeting, "Success in battle may not
be the best of tests of a general's capacity, but it is the
one the public knows of and has the power to apply. So
it is the one usually adopted."
After Fredericksburg, Bumside was the first to ask to
be relieved of his command of the Army of the Potomac,
and after Chancellorsville Hooker followed his example.
There were several anxious consultations in Cabinet, as
to who the next commander should be. It was believed
that one of the corps commanders would be the best
and most expedient appointment. But which one?
All had now proved themselves tried, capable, and experi-
enced soldiers, and all, so far as public opinion in and out
of the army indicated, seemed to be regarded as hav-
ing the necessary qualifications for conmiander-in-chief.
Bimiside, Hooker, Hancock, Howard, Reynolds, Meade,
Sickles, Couch, Heintzelman, all had warm friends and
admirers. Among the members of the Cabinet there were
differing views, perhaps each somewhat influenced by
person^ friendship.
"But what do you say, Mr. Secretary of War?" said
one of his colleagues. "You best know them all, and
your judgment should be the controlling one."
Mr. Stanton paused before repl3ring; "Well, I think on
the whole I should prefer Meade."
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Changing the Commanding General 239
" Meade ? " was the reply. " Have we seen or heard much
of him here in Washington? Who are his sponsors?
Seems to me we know less of him than of any of the
others."
Stanton looked sharply at the speaker through his
spectacles, and then, with a laugh, said, ''Perhaps that is
the reason I like him. No, he has no backers, and nobody
is urging him for the place. He does not come to Wash-
ington to ask for transfers or assignments or special
privileges. He has his own record. He sticks to his
work, does it, and does it well."
"Don't you suppose he has aspirations like the rest?"
"I rather think," said Stanton, "he expects to see
Reynolds chosen, and would prefer him first, and any one
else afterwards."
Ultimately, the President and all the members present
agreed that Stanton's judgment should be accepted, and
that Meade should be at once notified.
There was reason for haste, for battles were imminent.
Lee's army was marching northward with evident purpose
of invading Maryland or Pennsylvania. The Army of the
Potomac was marching in a parallel direction with it,
but on an "interior line," thereby protecting Washington
and Baltimore, and keeping in readiness to repel the
threatened invasion, wherever and in whatever form it
should be made.
General Hardie of the War Department was dispatched
to inform Meade. The Secretary of War supplied him
with orders and instructions, and ordered a special engine
and car to take him as far as possible. Then he was to
find such conveyance as he could for the rest of the way.
Railroads and all other roads are more or less demoralized
and broken in war time.
Hardie had various delays, which prevented him from
reaching Frederick till long after dark. He had donned
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240 Changing the Commanding General
civilian's dress, to avoid observation, but this very fact
added to his trouble in getting through parties of obstrep-
erous soldiery. When at last he found a horse and
buggy to drive to Meade's headquarters, which were some
miles outside of Frederick, it was after midnight. The
guards had been set for the night, and they were not
ready to admit a suspicious stranger, even when he claimed
to be an official with a message to the General. However,
at last he was ushered into General Meade's tent, and
found the General half dressed, lying on his camp bed
asleep.
'*Is that you, Hardie?"
'* Yes, General, just come from Washington.**
'* Something important up?"
"Yes, General, bad news for you. Better get up and
hear it."
General Meade arose and commenced putting on the
rest of his fatigue uniform.
*' Bad news, you say? What is it? "
"You are going to lose the command of your army
corps. General."
The General was silent a few moments, as he was
putting on his coat. Then, turning around, he said:
" Do you know, Hardie, I am not very much surprised.
When I saw so many heads around me coming off, I
rather wondered whether mine might not go next. Who
do they put in my place?"
"Don't know yet. Probably your ranking division
commander."
"And what do they do with me?"
"You— you are to take command of the Army of the
Potomac!"
" What? " exclaimed the astounded General. "Are you
joking ? Are you in earnest ? * '
When the General was convinced that the news was
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Changing the Commanding General 241
true, he was by no means elated. He had no desire for the
heavy responsibility thus devolving upon him. He said
he was too ignorant of the positions and dispositions of
the different army corps. He had thought that if Hooker
should be relieved, Reynolds would take his place. Hardie
was able to assure him that Secretary Stanton had fore-
seen his reluctance, and therefore his orders had been
so explicit and almost peremptory. The change was to be
made and made at once, without postponement or delay.
Meade said half -seriously, half -jokingly, "Well, I've
been tried and condemned without a hearing, so I suppose
I must submit."
He insisted, however, that he must reserve his accept-
ance till he had had a conference with the other corps
commanders. It was essential to success in the campaign
that there should be harmony and co-operation between
them all. Discord would be fatal. His own desire was
not to asstmie dictatorial powers, but to have full and
frequent consultation with the others, over the army's
movements.
The conferences were held. The other generals,
according to Hardie's report, were less surprised than
Meade had been. While some of them evidently were of
opinion that the appointment might as well have come to
them as to him, yet, on the whole, they were better
satisfied with his selection than they might have been with
some other. Of course, they all agreed to give him their
best counsel and hearty co-operation in the management
of the campaign, — a pledge that was faithfully carried
out, and which resulted in the master stroke of the cam-
paign that has made the name of Gettysbturg immortal.
The story of Hardie's night ride and interview is the
one that was told in Washington official circles. Very
probably, it is incorrect in several details, but its general
tenor is now accepted as history.
16
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242 Altered Aspect of the War
1863 and 1864.
Altered Aspect of tiie War. The great victories at
Gettysbiirg and Vicksburg and Port Hudson mark the
beginning of a new phase of the war. Public sentiment
in regard to it is changed and confident. The Mississippi
is now opened to trade throughout its whole length.
There is no longer any probabiUty of an attempted
invasion of the free States. The Confederacy is now
confined within definite limits, which will contract and
not expand. So there is a reasonable hope that the war
will be ended and the Union restored within the space
of a year or two. On the other hand, the public has now
no illusions in regard to a speedy termination of hostilities.
The Confederacy is still a power, composed of men of otir
own race, who are as tenacious of their opinions, as we are
of ours. So we have settled down to consider the war as a
lasting one.
We have become inured to war and its experiences.
We regard its chances and casualties as deplorable, but
inevitable. We have grown accustomed to the long
list of the killed and wounded in the battles. Not that
this implies any callousness to this great amount of human
suffering. Every conceivable expedient is eagerly seized
upon to relieve the dangers and hardships of the soldiers
and sailors. Hospitals are multiplied, niu-ses are eager
to volunteer. Commissions are organized to furnish
the soldiers and sailors not only with comforts but with
luxuries. Pairs and festivals are held in all the cities, for
the benefit of all who are fighting for the Flag. Everyone
sends his gift or contribution. Private families are
busily engaged in the manufacture of garments. Knitting
of socks is going on in every loyal household throughout
the North.
And all this laudable work is attended with prosperity.
Business is thriving. Commerce is showing unexampled
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Washington during Early's Raid 243
activity. Every trade and occupation is finding employ-
ment. The Government is spending a million of dollars
a day and "greenbacks" are plentiful.
The military telegraph has now been extended to every
army in the field. Its wires centre in the War Depart-
ment, now the focus of interest. Here sits the master
spirit of the contest, Edwin M. Stanton. Day by day,
and hour by hoiu", he is on the watch for news from the
front, and for opportunities to send forward reinforce-
ments, arms, and supplies wherever they are needed.
Stem and inflexible in discharge of his duty, he rarely
leaves the Department. Impatient of visitors who come
to seek personal ends, he is always ready to respond to
the calls of "the service" or the coimtry.
His Cabinet colleagues are his frequent callers, and the
President spends hours in listening to the intelligence or
demands ticked off from the wires. Here, they learn
how Gilmore is shelling the fortifications of Charleston
with long range artillery five miles away, how Bumside
is capttiring Knoxville, how Rosecrans is before Chat-
tanooga, how Franklin is advancing towards Sabine
Pass, how Banks has encotmtered a check in his march
through Louisiana, but has retrieved it, and is marching
on Shreveport, how varying conflicts are resulting in Flor-
ida, Mississippi, and Alabama, and how Admiral Farragut
is preparing for active operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
1864.
Washington during Early's Raid. It was in July,
1864, that a Confederate movement in the Shenandoah
Valley was developed. A coliunn reported as thirty
or forty thousand strong, under Breckenridge, passed the
Potomac fords above Harpers Ferry, crossed the South
Mountain, and entered Frederick in Maryland on Saturday
the 9th.
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244 Washington during Early's Raid
It was evident that the Confederates, hard pressed
by General Grant's campaign in "the Wilderness,"
had taken the bold step of making an attack on Washing-
ton from the rear, where the fortifications were weakest.
Washington, in its fancied security, had sent forward
nearly all its available troops to aid General Grant. If
the attacking column could reach there before reinforce-
ments could be sent back by General Grant, it might
result in a surprise, and even a capture of the capital.
General Early was reported to be in command of the
movement.
Major-General Wallace with about seven thousand
men hastily drawn from Baltimore met the whole or a
considerable portion of the enemy's force at the bridge
at Monocacy, which opened a way equally to Washington
or Baltimore. A deadly conflict was maintained from
nine in the morning till five in the afternoon. The
Union forces, overpowered by double their ntunber,
gave way and retreated to EUicott's Mills.
My younger brother William H. was now in command
of the Ninth New York Artillery. His regiment was a
part of the force sent out to check the Confederate invasion.
Early, the Confederate commander, had moved with
rapidity and secrecy. General Wallace, the Union com-
mander, found himself confronted with this overwhelming
force. He could not drive the enemy back, but every
hotir he could delay their advance was important, since
it gave time to put Washington into a condition for
defence.
My brother's regiment fought bravely nearly all day,
but, overpowered at last, was forced to retreat, while its
Colonel, wounded, narrowly escaped capture. His horse
was shot under him and fell upon him. Lieutenant-
Colonel Taft, who stood near by, at the same moment
lost his leg by the explosion of a shell. When the final
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Washington during, Early's Raid 245
order was given to retire, Colonel Seward had little more
than a colour gtiard left. Crippled and surrounded by the
enemy, he escaped with great diflficulty.
With the help of one of his men, he reached a piece of
woods. Mounting a stray mule, and using his pocket
handkerchief for a bridle, he succeeded after a painful
ride of many miles, during the night, in rejoining the
forces which had then made a stand at Ellicott's Mills.
It was now evident that the rebel movement was no
mere raid, but a skilfully arranged strategic advance,
to suddenly attack the Federal city on its weakest side.
When the news spread about in Washington that a
rebel army was within a few miles of the city, and that
there was no longer any Federal force to oppose its advance,
there was general alarm. Farmers living in the path of
the coming enemy fled to the city for refuge. By every
northern road their wagons were coming in, loaded with
their household goods, accompanied by cattle hastily
gathered and driven before them.
Soon clouds of smoke in the northern sky showed that
the abandoned dwellings and bams had been fired by
the rebel scouting or marauding parties.
Presently came intelligence that ''Silver Spring,"
Francis P. Blair's beautiful cotmtry seat, had been made
the headquarters of the rebel Generals Early and Brecken-
ridge. Then that the house of his son Montgomery
Blair, the Postmaster-General, had been fired and burnt
to the ground.
Meanwhile the military authorities were making every
possible preparation for defence. The forts were manned
by invalid soldiers and militia volunteers. Rifle pits
between different fortifications were hastily made. The
slender force at the disposal of the Government was
distributed to the best advantage.
Railway and telegraphic commtmication with the
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246 Washington during Early's Raid
north was again cut off, and it seemed as if the experiences
of 1861 were to be repeated. But this time the popular
feeling was very diflFerent. There was no gloom nor
consternation. Three years of war had inured even the
noncombatants to military vicissitudes. The citizens
could even appreciate the grim humour of their predica-
ment, in being thus suddenly attacked from the north,
after having sent their available troops to the south.
Succotu' was known to be coming from the Army of the
Potomac in war steamers and transports. But would
it arrive before the rebels were in the streets? It was not
believed that the rebel troops could long hold the city,
if they should take it. But they might inflict irreparable
damage by burning public buildings, destrojring records
and military stores, capturing valuable prisoners, and
seriously damaging the prestige of the national cause
by even a day's occupation of the capital.
One of the family letters, written at the time, graphically
describes the events in Washington:
" During Saturday evening, we had been hearing succes-
sive reports of the battle, the disaster, and the retreat of
General Wallace from Monocacy. The Secretary had
just returned from the War Department at midnight,
when Mr. Stanton himself came over and called him up,
to tell him of the dispatch saying that William was
wounded and a prisoner.
"None of us slept much the rest of the night, and it
was arranged that Augustus should go over in the first
train to Baltimore to make inquiries.
"All the morning the city was filled with panic rumotu^
of the advances of the rebels in every direction, and
troops were organized and posted to meet the anticipated
attack. The teamsters and other employees of the
Quartermaster's Department were armed, equipped, and
mustered into regiments, volunteers were accepted, horses
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Washington during Early's Raid 247
impressed, and the streets were full of bustle with the
marching of diGPerent bodies of troops,
"Meanwhile visitors were constantly coming in to
make inquiry, or to bring reports said to have come from
the field. At three o'clock a telegram from Augustus
assured us that though wounded William was not a
prisoner. By that time the citizens began to get reassured,
and matters to look more cheerful, as the enemy had not
pursued Wallace, had not attacked the railroad, and
had not presented themselves an3rwhere in force.
"On coming home we learned that a battalion of the
Ninth Artillery, just arrived from Petersburg, had marched
up the avenue to the fortifications. We followed them
in the carriage, and on the Tennallytown road began to
overtake the stragglers in the rear of the column. We
took in two of them, and presently overtook the main
body, who had halted to rest before taking their positions
in the forts. They were dusty and tired, but brown and
hearty — ^all glad to see us, and to get back to their old
camping ground.
"Their first inquiry was about their Colonel, of whose
reported capture they had heard. They lavished praises
on him for his bravery and his conduct with them before
Petersburg, and were delighted to find that it was not
true that he had been taken.
"Major Snyder was in command of the battalion.
We fotmd him and all our other acquaintances, and indeed
found none who were not. We stayed half an hour while
they made their coffee, and fought their battles over
Ugain, and left them in excellent spirits.
"On reaching home at eight o'clock, we fotmd General
Wallace's dispatch about William. We think he will be
here today or tomorrow. The whole regiment has now
been ordered here to garrison the forts, as they are
trained artillerists. Two battalions went to Baltimore,
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248 Washington during Early's Raid
and so were in the battle, but they will now come
here,
"With the preparations now made, and the strength
we are hourly gaining, the military authorities are confi-
dent not only of resisting, but perhaps of overpowering the
rebel force and capturing it. The coimtry round is full
of the raiding and scouting parties of their cavalry."
Washington was well fortified. A triple girdle of earth-
works now surrotmded it. The open space between the
fortifications and the region of streets, shops, and dwellings
was thickly dotted with hospitals, mostly substantial
wooden or canvas structures, with all modem appliances
for ventilation and comfort. An army of maimed or
convalescent soldiers on a sunny day could be seen resting
or lounging on the turf aroxmd their doors.
In the afternoon of the day when the enemy's advance
guard was expected, my father and I drove out with
President Lincoln to Fort Stevens, near the jimction of
the roads nmning from Seventh and Fourteenth Streets.
As this was an exposed point, it would probably be the
first attacked.
A barricade had been thrown across the turnpike.
General McCook was in command. A crowd of officers
gathered round the carriage, to welcome and salute the
President. He alighted, went up into the fort, and
was standing on the parapet looking over the long stretch
of comparatively level coimtry, when a soldier touched
his arm and begged him to descend, "for the bullets of
the rebel sharpshooters may begin to come in any minute
from the woods yonder."
The caution was timely, for in a few moments the
prediction was verified, and a bullet or two whistling over
the sentry's head showed that the riflemen "were getting
the range."
A portion of the Sixth Corps and two divisions of the
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The Year's Record 249
Nineteenth, which General Grant had sent up for the
relief of Washington, were now arriving and debarking
at the wharves. Detachments were hastily formed and
marched up to the aid of the threatened forts. One
arrived at Fort Stevens while the President was there.
Thrown out as skirmishers, the men soon came in sight
of the rebel scouts, who, recognizing the well-known cross,
which was the badge of the Sixth Corps, informed their
commanders that the Federal reinforcements had arrived.
On Monday and Tuesday, the space between the
fortifications and the attacking force was a scene of un-
interrupted skirmishes between the cavalry and sharp-
shooters of the respective parties.
A force of two thousand men sent out from Fort Stevens
on Tuesday evening assaulted the enemy with spirit and
decision. In this engagement each party lost about three
htmdred killed and wounded.
That night the enemy's sharpshooters were replaced
by cavalry pickets, and on Wednesday morning their
cavalry disappeared. At the same time the rebels with-
drew from the vicinity of Baltimore. A column of
considerable strength was dispatched on the 13th to
pursue the enemy across the Potomac.
December, 1864.
The Year's Record. We are at the end of another
year of the war. This is New Year's Eve. A crowd
of holiday merrymakers has just gone by, singing
the plaintive strains of the latest war song, — "When this
cruel war is over." When will it be over? Will it last
another year, or more? Looking back over the events
of the year just closed, they seem of great, even of amazing
importance:
The appointment of Lieutenant-General Grant to the
chief command of the armies; his coming to Washington
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250 The Year's Record
and reorganizing the Army of the Potomac ; his order for a
general advance, in April, of all the armies; his taking
the field and driving Lee's troops from their intrench-
ments and pursuing them into the "Wilderness"; the
long and bloody campaign in the "Wilderness"; the
sanguinary battles of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbour;
the junction with the forces of General Butler at Bermuda
Hundred; and the preparations for a long siege of Peters-
btu*g and of Richmond, at which points the insurgent
forces are now concentrated. Then the advance of
General Sherman, pursuing Johnston's army to the
Chattahoochee; the flanking of the enemy on Kenesaw
Motmtain; the battle near Atlanta where McPherson
lost his life; the fall of Atlanta; and the historic
march of Sherman through Georgia, and the capture of
Savannah.
Then the exploits of the navy: the sinking of the
Alabama by the Kearsarge, under Captain Window; the
great naval engagement and victory by Farragut in
Mobile Bay. Then the cavalry successes of Sheridan,
Averill, and Ejlpatrick, — Sheridan's famous ride, and his
victory at Cedar Creek. Then the failure of Early's
Raid, and the clearing of the Shenandoah Valley, — ^all
point to an early termination of the war.
Not less significant is the result of the^ Presidential
campaign, — ^the nomination and re-election of Abraham
Lincoln, showing that the country stands behind him,
determined to prosecute the war to the end.
My father and I, in walking to the State Department,
every morning find that the headquarters of General Augur,
the District commander, has a crowd of forty or fifty
persons in front of it. On inquiry, we learn that some
of these are prisoners, but the majority are deserters
from the Confederate ranks, who have come in, given up
their arms, taken the oath of allegiance, and are to be
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The End of the War 251
forwarded by the Government diiring the day to Philadel-
phia, where they will find peaceful employment.
My father remarks, "That means a company a day, —
a regiment a week, — a brigade a fortnight. How long can
any army stand such a drain upon its resources, when
there are no new recruits or conscripts to replenish
it?"
April, 1865.
The End of the War. When my father was disabled
by his serious carriage accident, his official functions were
devolved upon me. As Acting Secretary, I wrote the fol-
lowing, as the closing " Circular on the military situation ' ' :
"The past week has been characterized by a rapid and
uninterrupted series of military successes, more moment-
ous in their results than any that have preceded them
during the war. Richmond and Petersburg, with all
their communications and vast quantities of supplies
and material of war, have been captured by our armies.
The insurrection has no longer a seat of its pretended
Government. Its so-called officials are fugitives. Its
chief army, after being reduced by repeated defeats and
demoralization to less than one third of its former numbers,
has been retreating, closely pursued and hemmed in by
the victorious forces of the Union, and encountering
fresh losses at every step of its ffight, until the triumph of
the national armies finally ctdminated in the surrender
of General Lee and the whole insurgent Army of Northern
Virginia to Lieutenant-General Grant yesterday afternoon,
at half -past four o'clock.
"Henceforth it is evident that the war, if protracted,
can never resume its former character. Organized opera-
tions of campaign or siege, carried on by disciplined and
eflfective armies, are no longer possible for the insurgents.
Depredations by marauding gangs, and defence of remote
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252 The End of the War
and isolated inland fastnesses, may, perhaps, still be
continued, but even these can endure but for a time.
"Not the least significant feature of these triumphs
is the reception extended by the inhabitants to the
advancing armies of the Union, their entire acquiescence,
and, in many instances, their apparently sincere rejoicings
at the return of its protecting authority over the insurgent
district.
"The insurrection has now no port or access to the sea;
no fixed seat of its pretended Government; no coherent
civil administration; no army that is not, in consequence
of repeated defeats, rapidly dissolving into fragments;
and the only ships that assume to carry its flag are those
foreign-built vessels, which, from the day their keek were
laid on neutral soil, have never ventured to approach
within hundreds of miles of the scene of the insurrection;
and have only derived their ability to rob and plunder
from the concession to them of belligerent privileges, by
powers which have repeatedly assured us of their dis-
position to be neutral in the strife."
Next, was the preparation of two proclamations for the
President's signature, giving notice of the changed
aspect of affairs as regarded foreign nations. One of
these annoimced that, as the Southern ports had been
recapttu-ed, their blockade was no longer necessary. The
other gave notice to the foreign governments who had
refused to vessels of war of the United States the privileges
to which they were entitled by treaty, public law, and
international comity, that henceforth their own vessels
would be treated in precisely the same way by the United
States, until the obnoxious restrictions were withdrawn.
So the end had come at last. Joyous and enthusiastic
crowds were going about the streets exchanging con-
gratulations. Flags were floating, and music re-echoing
the glad tidings, — "The cruel war was over."
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Last Meeting of Lincoln and Seward 253
April, 1865.
Last Meeting of Lincoln and Seward. Soon after the
capture of Richmond, President Lincoln went down there
to visit the army and the city. While there he heard of
the carriage accident by which my father had been badly
injured on the 5th of April.
Returning to Washington, he found that news of the
great Union successes had spread abroad. Improvised
meetings and processions were hourly occurring, and all
Washington seemed to be pervaded with excitement.
He hastened to visit my father in his sick chamber.
It was in the evening, the gaslights were turned down low,
and the house was still, everyone moving softly and
speaking in whispers. The injured Secretary was helpless
and swathed in bandages, on his bed in the centre of the
room. The extreme sensitiveness of the woimded arm
made even the touch of the bed clothing intolerable. To
keep it free from their contact he was lying on the edge of
the bed farthest from the door. Mr. Lincoln, entering
with kindly expressions of sympathy, sat down on the
bed by the invalid's side.
"You are back from Richmond?" whispered Seward,
who was hardly able to articulate.
"Yes," said Lincoln, "and I think we are near the end
at last."
Then, leaning his tall form across the bed and resting
on his elbow, so as to bring his face near that of the
injured man, he gave him an account of his experience
"at the front," Seward listening with interest, but unable
to utter a word without pain. They were left together
for half an hour or more.
Then the door opened softly, and Mr. Lincoln came out
gently, intimating by a silent look and gesture that Seward
had fallen into afeverish slumber and must not be disturbed.
It was their last meeting.
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254 Lincoln's Last Cabinet Meeting
Lincoln's Last Cabinet Meeting. On the 14th of
April, 1861, the Civil War had opened with the fall of
Fort Sumter. Pour years of battle had followed. Now,
the return of that anniversary was accompanied with the
advent of Peace. It was deemed a proper day to again
raise the Union flag on the fort, with appropriate cere-
monies. This year it happened that the 14th was also
Good Friday.
Early that morning, a messenger from the White House
brought me a note in President Lincoln's well-known
handwriting. It ran :
"Acting Secretary of State:
''Please call a Cabinet meeting at eleven o'clock today.
General Grant will be with us.
"A. Lincoln."
As my father was confined to his bed by the injuries
received in his recent carriage accident, I was acting in
his stead. I sent out the notices, and at the appointed
hour came Secretaries McCuUoch and Welles, Post-
master-General Dennison and Attorney-General Speed
soon arrived, and I appeared as representative of the
State Department. Mr. Lincoln, with an expression of
visible relief and content upon his face, sat in his study
chair, by the south window, chatting with us over "the
great news." Some curiosity was expressed as to what
had become of the heads of the rebel government —
whether they would escape from the coimtry, or would
remain to be captured and tried ; and if tried, what penalty
would be visited upon them?
All those present thought that, for the sake of general
amity and good will, it was desirable to have as few
judicial proceedings as possible. Yet would it be wise
to let the leaders in treason go entirely tmptmished?
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Lincoln's Last Cabinet Meeting 255
Mr. Speed remarked that it would be a difficult problem
if it should occur.
"I suppose, Mr. President," said Governor Dennison,
"you would not be sorry to have them escape out of the
cotmtry?"
"Well," said Mr. Lincoln slowly, "I shotild not be
sorry to have them out of the country; but I shotdd be for
following them up pretty close, to make sure of their
going."
The conversation turning upon the subject of sleep,
Mr. Lincoln remarked that a peculiar dream of the
previous night was one that had occurred several times in
his life, — a vague sense of floating — floating away on some
vast and indistinct expanse, toward an imknown shore.
The dream itself was not so strange as the coincidence that
each of its previous recurrences had been followed by
some important event or disaster, which he mentioned.
The usual comments were made by his auditors. One
thought it was merely a matter of coincidences.
Another laughingly remarked, "At any rate it cannot
presage a victory nor a defeat this time, for the war is
over."
I suggested, "Perhaps at each of these periods there
were possibilities of great change or disaster, and the
vague feeling of uncertainty may have led to the dim
vision in sleep."
"Perhaps," said Mr. Lincoln, thoughtfully, "perhaps
that is the explanation."
Mr. Stanton was the last to arrive. He brought with
him a large roll of paper, upon which he had been at
work.
General Grant entered, in accordance with the Presi-
dent's invitation, and was received with cordial welcomes
and congratulations. He briefly and modestly narrated
the incidents of the surrender. Mr. Lincoln's face glowed
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256 Lincoln's Last Cabinet Meeting
with approval when, in reply to his inquiry, "What tenns
did you make for the common soldiers?" General Grant
said, " I told them to go back to their homes and families,
and they wotild not be molested, if they did nothing more."
Kindly feeling toward the vanquished, and hearty
desire to restore peace and safety at the South, with as
little harm as possible to the feelings or the property
of the inhabitants, pervaded the whole discussion.
At such a meeting, in such a time, there could be but
one question, — the restoration or re-establishment of
the seceded States in their former relations as members of
the Federal Union.
The conference was long and earnest, with little diver-
sity of opinion, except as to details. One of the difl&culties
of the problem was, who should be recognized as State
authorities? There was a loyal governor in Virginia.
There were military governors in some of the other States.
But the Southern legislatures were for the most part
avowedly treasonable. Whether they should be allowed
to continue until they committed some new overt act of
hostility; whether the governors should be requested to
order new elections; whether such elections should be
ordered by the General Government — all these were
questions raised.
Among many similar expressions of the President,
was the remark: "We can't undertake to run State
governments in all these Southern States. Their people
must do that, — though I reckon that at first some of them
may do it badly."
The Secretary of War then tuiroUed his sheets of paper,
on which he had drafted the outlines of reconstruction,
embodying the President's views, and, as it was xmder-
stood, those of the other members of the Cabinet. In
substance it was, that the Treasury Department should
take possession of the custom houses, and proceed to
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Lincoln's Last Cabinet Meeting 257
collect the revenues; that the War Department should
garrison or destroy the forts; that the Navy Department
should, in like manner, occupy the harbours, take posses-
sion of navy yards, ships, and ordnance; that the Interior
Department should send out its surveyors, land, pension,
and Indian agents and set them at work; that the Post-
master-General should reopen his post-oflBces and re-
establish his mail routes; that the Attorney-General
should look after the re-establishment of the Federal
courts, with their judges, marshals, and attorneys: in
short, that the machinery of the United States Govern-
ment should be set in motion; that its laws should be
faithfully observed and enforced; that anything like
domestic violence or insurrection should be repressed;
but that public authorities and private citizens should
remain unmolested, if not fotmd in actual hostility to the
Government of the Union.
It must have been about two o'clock when the Cabinet
meeting ended. At its close, the President remarked that
he had been urged to visit the theatre that evening, and
asked General Grant if he would join the party. The
General excused himself, as he had a previous engagement.
He took his leave, and some of the others followed him.
Then I said, "Mr. President, we have a new British
Minister, Sir Frederick Bruce. He has arrived in Wash-
ington, and is awaiting presentation. At what time will
it be convenient for you to receive him?"
He paused a moment in thought, and replied:
"Tomorrow at two o'clock."
"In the Blue Room, I suppose?"
" Yes, in the Blue Room, " and then added with a smile,
" Don't forget to send up the speeches beforehand. I
would like to look them over."
I promised to do so, and then took my leave. — I never
saw him afterwards.
17
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258 Assassination Night
Assassination Night It was the ninth day since the
carriage accident in which my father had been injured, and
he still lay helpless and suffering. His symptoms alter-
nately inspired hope of his recovery or grave apprehen-
sions that he could not survive. The physicians held
frequent consultations. The family took turns in watching
at his bedside, and two invalid soldiers were sent to
assist in his care. Aggravated pain and inflammation
brought on occasional deliritun, but every day, although
tmable to talk, he would intimate his desire to be informed
of current events.
He essayed to make a suggestion or two in reference to a
Thanksgiving proclamation, and in regard to the relations
with Great Britain, but after enimdating a few words
with difficulty could not continue. He Kstened with a
look of pleasure to the narrative of the events of the
Cabinet meeting.
Night came, and about ten o'clock Dr. Norris, the last
of the physicians who called diuing the evening, had
taken his leave. The gaslights were turned low, and all
wsfti quiet. In the sick-room of my father were his
dau^M ^-JPanny and the invalid soldier nurse George T,
Rol^ •, The other members of the family had gone
tO;,tfc^.. espective rooms to rest, before their term of
Ti^e ^med nothing unusual in the dccurrence, when a
tall,r .^ jdressed, but unknown man presented himself
belo^V^^ informing the servant he had brought a message
from ^hf doctor, was allowed to come up the stairs.
Hearing the noise of footsteps in the hall, I came out and
met him. When he told me that he came with a message
from the doctor that was to be delivered to Mr. Seward
personally, I told him that the Secretary was sleeping,
and must not be disturbed, and that he could give me
the message.
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Assassination Night 259
He repeated two or three times that he must see Mn
Seward personally. As he seemed to have nothing else
to say, he gave me the impression that he was rather
dull or stupid.
Finally, I said, "Well, if you will not give me the
message, go back and tell the doctor I refused to let you
see Mr. Seward."
As he stood apparently irresolute, I said, "I am his
son, and the Assistant Secretary of State. Go back and
tell the doctor that I refused to let you go into the sick-
room, because Mr. Seward was sleeping."
He replied, "Very well, sir, I will go," and, tiuning
away, took two or three steps down the stairs.
Suddenly turning again, he sprang up and forward,
having drawn a Navy revolver, which he levelled,
with a muttered oath, at my head, and pulled the
trigger.
And now, in swift succession, like the scenes of some
hideous dream, came the bloody incidents of the night, —
of the pistol missing fire, — of the struggle in the dimly
lighted hall, between the armed man and the una^icd
one, — of the blows which broke the pistol of th*^ and
fractured the skull of the other, — of the bur* ^ a of
the door, — of the mad rush of the assassin to th\. dside,
and his savage slashing, with a bowie knife, a '^l-'i^ce
and throat of the helpless Secretary, instantly df -iing
the white bandages with streams of blood, — of tl ^"^ ams
of the daughter for help, — of the attempt of t'^ 1.. valid
soldier nurse to drag the assailant from his victim, receiv-
ing sharp woimds himself in return, — of the noise made by
the awaking household, inspiring the assassin with hasty
impulse to escape, leaving his work done or undone,
of his frantic rush down the stairs, cutting and slashing
at all whom he found in his way, woimding one in the
face, and stabbing another in the back, — of his escape
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26o Assassination Night
through the open doorway, — ^and his flight on horseback
down the avenue.
Five minutes later, the aroused household were gazing
horrified at the bleeding faces and figures in their midst,
were lifting the insensible form of the Secretary from a
pool of blood, — and sending for surgical help. Mean-
while a panic-stricken crowd were surging in from the
street to the hall and rooms below, vainly inquiring or
wildly conjecttuing what had happened. For these, the
horrors of the night seemed to culminate when later
comers rushed in, with the intelligence that the President
had also been attacked, at the same hour, — ^had been
shot at Ford's Theatre, — ^had been carried to a house in
Tenth Street, — ^and was lying there tmconscious and dying.
On the following morning Secretary Stanton telegraphed
to General Sherman :
"Washington, April 15, 1865, 12 m.
"President Lincoln was murdered about ten o'clock
last night, in his private box at Ford's Theatre, in this
city, by an assassin, who shot him through the head with
a pistol ball. The assassin leaped from the box, brand-
ishing a dagger, exclaiming 'Sic semper tyrannis,' and
that Virginia was avenged. Mr. Lincoln fell senseless
from his seat, and continued in that state tmtil twenty-
two minutes after seven o'clock, at which time he breathed
his last. General Grant was published to be at the
theatre, but did not go.
"About the same time, Mr. Seward's house was entered
by another assassin, who stabbed the Secretary in several
places. It is thought he may possibly recover, but his son
Frederick will probably die of wounds received from the
assassin.
"Vice-President Johnson now becomes President, and
will take the oath of office and assume duties today.
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Assassination Night 261
"I have no time to add more than to say that I find
evidence that an assassin is also on your track, and I
beseech you to be more heedful than Mr. Lincoln was of
such knowledge.
''Edwin M. Stanton,
"Secretary of War."
The coimtry was plimged in grief. Indeed the whole
civilized world was startled by the news of the bloody
crimes at Washington. The cities were draped in moiun-
ing for the murdered President. Hourly bulletins of
the condition of the Secretary of State gave little hope
that he could survive his wounds.
The number and the purposes of the conspirators were
as yet unknown, and this uncertainty added to the
general feeling of uneasy apprehension. Energetic efforts
to ascertain the identity of the assassins and to arrest
them, were at once begim by the military authorities.
Sentinels paced the sidewalk in front of Seward's house,
to guard against another attack. Anxious inquirers
thronged at the door. Letters and telegrams of condo-
lence and sympathy poured in upon the afflicted family.
For several days my father lay in a critical state. His
physicians had feared the injuries from the carriage
accident might prove fatal, and now to these were added
the frightful wotmds inflicted by the assassin's knife.
At intervals he was partly conscious, and then would
lapse for hours into a condition of apparent stupor.
Of the scenes passing outside he had no knowledge,
except as they were told him by his attendants. The
funeral of President Lincoln, the inauguration of Vice-
President Johnson in his stead, the surrender of Johnston,
the capture of Davis, the arrest of the assassins, all took
place while he was still tmable to move.
He used at a subsequent period to tell of his vague and
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262 After the Assassination
dreamy memory of being propped up with pillows, and
drawn to the window, to witness the passing funeral
pageant of the President, The great black catafalque,
with its nodding sable plumes, caught his eye, but he
was ph3r5ically too weak to grasp its full significance.
After the Assassination. I who write, and you who
read these things, have to remind otu^ves that they
occurred fifty years ago. Needless then to dwell upon
the horror-stricken household, the gruesome details of
surgical relief, the physical pain and suffering, the slow re-
turn to consciousness, the tedious weeks of convalescence,
the tmavailing grief for the loved ones who succumbed
to the shock, and the sorrow for the dead President.
All these things belong to the irrevocable past.
Let us rather recall with pleasant remembrance the
loving care for the sufferers, the consummate medical
skill displayed, and above all the outburst of world-wide
sympathy throughout all civilized lands, evincing, as no
other event in our time has done, the Brotherhood of
Man.
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PART m
After the War
Washington, Dec. 29, 1865.
Our West Indian Cruise. This is the 29th of December.
Congress has adjourned for the holiday recess. The
flags are lowered. The Capitol ceases to swarm and
buzz. Even the throng of visitors at the White House is
thinned out. Public business slackens. The Diplomatic
Corps are more occupied with the festivities of the season
than with notes and despatches, and the Department of
State has a breathing spell. The time seems auspicious
for the Secretary to take that brief respite from official
cares which his physician has warned him that his health
requires, and which seems essential, if he is ever to recover
from the effects of his injuries. He has accordingly de-
cided to take a run down into the genial air of the tropics
for a month or so. In so doing, he will accomplish a double
purpose. Besides regaining his strength, he will have an
opportunity, long desired, of observing the West Indian
islands, noting their political, social, and commercial
conditipn, and studying the problems arising out of their
proximity to the United States — ^problems that increase
in number and difficulty every year, as our relations
with them grow more intimate.
The Secretary of the Navy has kindly placed at his dis-
posal the De Soto a fine steamer of one thousand six
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264 Our West Indian Cruise
hundred tons, belonging to the West Indian squadron,
which, without departing from her own field of duty,
can take him to visit the islands speedily and comfortably.
This will bring him back to work again before Congress
shall have advanced more than a fortnight in its session,
so that he will be in time to receive his share of that
fire of resolutions of inquiry which seem to be the indis-
pensable preliminary to all legislation and ''reconstruc-
tion."
Washington, Dec. 30, 1865.
Today we are sending our supplies down to the steamer.
Our party will consist of six. There will be two ladies
(my wife and her sister); two gentlemen, the Secretary
of State and myself; and two servants (John Butler,
who has served us so long and faithfully, and Joseph
Smallwood, whose marine experience will render him
useful on the voyage).
Our latest advices from the navy yard are that the
steamer has taken in her coal and is ''in the stream, ''and
that we are expected on board tonight.
On Board U. S. Steamer De Soto,
Off Giesboro, Dec. 31, 1865.
Under a bright, clear, moonlit sky we embarked last
night at the navy yard, on a tug which we found lying
at the wharf, ready to take us to the De Soto. Half
an hour brought us alongside of the great black hull,
towering up above even the smoke pipe of our little craft.
A voice from above hailed "Tug aJioy!" and inquired
our errand; and in response to our reply came, "Ay, ay,
sir. Please to come this way to the gangway. " In five
minutes more we had shaken hands with the Attorney-
General, the Colonel, and the squire, had climbed the
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Our West Indian Cruise 265
ladder, were welcomed by the captain, and were on board,
"outward bound."
Descending to the cabin, we were shortly followed there
by confused piles of trunks, bedding, crockery, etc, giving
the party the appearance of a large family just going to
housekeeping in a small house, A couple of hours were
devoted to the business of getting things "shipshape,"
and at half -past ten we " turned in, " with the comfortable
assurance that when we awoke we should find ourselves
steaming down the Potomac below Fort Washington and
Mount Vernon, and "going out with the tide" to sea-
Early this morning drum and fife sounded the reveille,
and daylight (though rather a dim and dubious spedmen
of the article) began to stream down through the sky-
light. But the ship was ominously tranquil, and there
was neither clank of engine nor jar of timbers. Presently
the bell struck thrice. Just so, we said; there is "three
bells" — signifying, when translated into the dialect of
land-lubbers, half-past five o'clock. Presently it struck
three bells again. Then it struck three bells a third time.
Then it kept on striking three bells every five minutes.
We began to doubt our familiarity with marine horology.
"What o'clock is that?" The reply was brief and suc-
cinct: "Fog, sir."
Fog it was. And fog it is yet. We are off Giesboro,
just where we were last night, and though we are already
out of sight of land, we are not more than half a mile from
the old cavalry barracks, nor out of hearing of the crows
that there do congregate. The fog is impenetrable. It
has congealed on the masts, the rigging, the guns, and the
decks, covering the latter with a glare of ice, admirable for
skating purposes, but not well adapted to walking. So
we sit below in the cabin around the breakfast table,
reading yesterday's morning papers, wondering what
they are doing at home, and when anybody will be able
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266 Our West Indian Cruise
to do anything here. On the latter point we consult
successively the barometer, the thermometer, the com-
pass, and the captain. But, so far, they all decide the
question in the negative. The tide has come and gone^
but we haven't.
Oflf Piney Point,
Monday, Jan. i, 1866.
We are steaming dawn the Potomac at eleven knots an
hour, and rapidly approaching the Chesapeake. Since
this time yesterday, it has rained, it has snowed, it has
frozen, it has thawed, it has grown dear, it has grown
foggy; and through these changes we have gradually and
cautiously felt our way down the river. We have passed
Alexandria, whose wharves look deserted and desolate in
these "piping times of peace," though so busy and bus-
tling during war. We have passed Fort Foote with its
frowning four-hundred-pounders, and Fort Washington
with imposing parapets. We have tolled the bell and
lowered the ensign as we passed the grave of Washington, at
Mount Vernon. We have passed the Occoquan and Acquia
Creek, Belle Plain and Indian Head. We have seen the
deserted ruins of the rebel batteries that once blockaded
the Potomac from Freestone to Matthias' Point. We
have noted the spot, marked by a tall, blackened chinmey,
where Ward was killed in trying to carry one of them;
and have traced the line where Booth creased, in making
his escape toward Richmond. We have met and passed
perhaps a dozen schooners, loaded with hay and oysters,
where we saw so recently fleets, navies, and a^osies of
warlike ships and transports, appearing as if evoked by
charm, and now disappearing as if by magic. And with
them has gone the last of the four memorable years of
civil war in America.
This is New Year's Day. Officers and men are exchang-
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Our West Indian Cruise 267
ing, this morning, the salutations of the season. But
we have no New Year callers, except a party of seven white
seagulls, who came early this morning and still follow the
vessel, occasionally screaming a "Happy New Year" to
us, and evidently not unwilling to be invited to partake of
refreshments suited to the occasion.
As the De Soto threads her way through the devious
channel, her decks present an animated picture. On the
paddle-box stands the pilot, encased in india-rubber coat
and hat, and peering over the top of a screen of sail-cloth
erected before him to keep oS the driving rain and sleet.
On the other paddle-box stands the lieutenant-commander,
speaking-trumpet in hand, to give the necessary orders to
the deck. Behind each paddle-box are two sailors
heaving the lead, and at kitervals chanting, "By the
deep, five," etc. At the wheel stand four seamen, under
the eye of a burly quartermaster, who echoes the word of
command, "Sou'east, half east, sir," "Ay, ay, sir,"
"Hard-a-port it is." On the quarter-deck the officers
pace monotonously up and down on their appointed round.
Away ofif forward, in the vicinity of the forecastle, groups
of sailors are standing joking, chatting, scufiling, until the
boatswain's shrill whistle stmmions them to some duty.
For our own part, we keep below today while the rain
lasts, except an occasional turn on deck to see how we are
getting on. Our acconunodations are ample, and, for the
sea, spacious. The captain's cabin is our parlour and
dining-room and library; it is nearly the size of our "yel-
low parlour " at home. On each side of this is a stateroom,
and a th^-d sleeping apartment has been ingeniously
added by a partition slicing off a piece of the ward-
room. Just behind the staterooms there is, on one side, a
steward's pantry, and on the other a bathroom. A short
circular stair leads from the cabin to the quarter-deck
protected by a tarpaulin from the weather. light is
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270 Our West Indian Cruise
of the ''Btdldog affair/' which led to the diplomatic
diffictilty between England and the Haytian Republic.
The De Soto^ as Captain Walker describes the scene, took
no part in the hostilities, though she did help to rescue
some of the combatants who were menaced with the
triple danger of bombardment, burning, and drowning.
To this last narrative, Mr. Seward listens attentively
though imgerturbably, as he sits and smokes his cigar,
occasionallya^ting some pertinent question. He has bad
already two ofiSdal versions of this same story from eye-
witnesses, one through the American consulate and the
other through the British legation. And now here is a
third which differs from both in some material points.
Nothing is so hard to get at as the exact truth about a fight,
even when the narrator aims to be perfectly truthful and dis-
interested. Each one's story necessarily centres in his
own circle of vision, and his sympathies colour the tale
unconsciously to himself. Mr. S. does not give his opin-
ion at present on this mass of conflicting evidence about
the "Bull-dog," but will look into the case more fully
hereafter.
January i, 1866. — ^Evening.
We have had our New Year's dinner, and have passed
on down the Chesapeake toward the Capes. The pilot
has taken leave of us, and has gone off in a small boat to
the light-ship near Old Point Comfort. And now we
have passed the Capes and are at sea. We have just
been on deck to take our last look at the United States.
All that we see of them are the two bright lights behind us
that mark Cape Henry and Cape Charles.
January 2, 1866. — ^At Sea.
Heavy gale ! Just imagine it !
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Our West Indian Cruise 271
January 3, 1866. — At Sea.
Gale somewhat abated. Seasickness ditto. One by one
we have crawled up on deck. We sit on chairs and a
lounge which the officers have placed near the middle
of the ship. We have breakfasted, after a fashion, on
chicken broth, and are sitting under an awning that keeps
oS the rain, and comparing notes on the general appear-
ance of the sea.
Yesterday, it seems, was passed pretty much in travers-
ing the Gulf Stream. The thermometer rose from forty-
two degrees to seventy degrees, and, when plunged into a
bucket of sea-water, rose to seventy-seven degrees. Sail-
ing on the Gulf Stream, according to my brief observation
of it yesterday, looks not unUke cruising on a vast kettle of
boiling water — the water whitened, troubled, and tossing;
the air hot, damp, and steaming, and clouds of vapour
rolling and scudding in various directions. Perhaps this
resemblance does not hold, however, on a less tempestuous
day and with a less seasick observer.
Today we are emerging from the Gulf Stream. The
thermometer has fallen to sixty-eight degrees. The sailors
have just drawn a bucketful of water and announce
the temperature of it to be seventy-one degrees. This
operation is repeated hourly, as is that of heaving the log,
by which we learn we are making nine knots an hour.
About noon the sun came out for a few minutes, and the
captain succeeded in getting an observation. We are in
latitude 33 degrees 24 minutes; in longitude 71 degrees 43
minutes. So we are below Hatteras, and between it and
Bermuda. Shakespeare was right in calling it ''still-
vexed Bermoothes," when he made it the scene of his
Tempest. It has been the scene of a great many others
since, and has a right to be vexed about it. (How did
Shakespeare, with the light of only such geography as
existed three hundred years ago, acquire so correct an
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272 Our West Indian Cruise
idea of it? Perhaps from Sir Walter Raleigh, who was
one of his contemporaries, and whose voyagings to
Carolina and back must have made him familiar with the
weather about Hatteras and adjacent waters.)
And now we have come six himdred miles from the
Capes, and nearly eight hundred from Washington. V/e
are nearly halfway on our voyage to Santa Cruz, distant
from us about one thousand miles more.
The rain circumscribes our view, which is drearily
monotonous. This afternoon two "Mother Carey's
chickens" have made their appearance, flitting rapidly
over the waves a short distance from the ship. Two
"sails" are also seen — one a large ship labouring heavily
against the wind, a few miles off on our port side, and the
other, too distant to be readily made out, on our star-
board quarter.
At two bells (five o'clock) the crew is " beat to quarters."
This, on a man-of-war, corresponds to "evening parade"
in camp. Two boys with drum and fife beat the signal.
The marines are drawn up in line on the quarter-
deck, under their sergeant. The sailors are grouped
around their respective guns and wherever else their
station is to be in time of action. The officers move
about from place to place inspecting each group. The
drum and fife play a national air. The colours are
lowered for the night, and the men disperse.
At Sea, January 4, 1866.
The weather continues stormy. There is a south-west
gale, with rain at frequent intervals. Today we are all
together on deck for the first time. We breakfast and
dine there, after a desultory and irregular fashion, not
ventimng in the cabin more than is necessary. John, who
has kept up, fortunately, while the rest were seasick, is
today hors du combat himself.
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Our West Indian Cruise 273
At twelve o'clock there is a cry of " Sail ho!" Soon we
see her, a large ship bearing down directly toward us from
the southward. She has a good deal of sail set, and the
wind, which is so unfavourable for us, is favourable for
her. As she passes us she seems to be labouring and
plunging through the waves, and they occasionally break
over her bows. The two vessels are not more than half
a mile apart. They salute each other by raising and
lowering the national ensign. So she is an American like
ourselves, but she is not near enough to hail, and we
shall know no more of her than this.
A glimpse of the sun is improved to take an observation.
Latitude 31 degrees, longitude 70 degrees 31 minutes.
We are south-west of Bermuda, and nearly on the same
parallel as New Orleans and St. Augustine. We are
farther south than the Mediterranean, and are nearly on a
line with Cairo in Egypt.
The wind toward nightfall changes more to the north-
ward, and we go below in the hope of better weather to-
morrow. This afternoon we have made but six knots an
hour. Our seats on deck have to be lashed fast.
Our little group of passengers sit huddled on the deck
back of the ''house, " under a short awning spread to keep
off the rain. Mr. Seward, wrapped up in overcoat and
shawls, sits in a great chair, whose back is braced against
the captain's stateroom, and which is lashed fast to keep it
from slipping about the deck. The ladies occupy, one a
lounge and the other a chair, both of which are lashed
fast, and for still greater security the ladies are lashed
fast in them. Time is divided between the dreary and
monotonous view of the sea and such books and papers as
we have brought along to read.
Today Smallwood comes out brilliantly, and proves
that he has not been fourteen years at sea for nothing.
There is a heavy sea on, and it is a sight to see him come
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274 Our West Indian Cruise
gliding down from the galley, the whole length of the
deck, with that swift indescribable gait, compotinded of a
shuffle and a slide, dexterously balancing a plate of hot
soup on the fingers of each hand, and never spilling a drop
of it. He sways and balances as if he was part of the
ship itself; and the soup, in his hands, looks so quiescent -
that it seems natural enough to take the plates into
our own hands. But if we do, presto change! — it jumps
about until it is all deposited on our clothes or on the deck.
I soon find that the only way is to divide the labour with
Smallwood, he holding the plate and I eating the soup.
Later we betake ourselves to our snug quarters below,
and gather round the cabin lamp. Mr. Seward is reading
history and voyages, the ladies reading the January maga*
fldnes, and I writing up the journal of the day.
At Sea, January 5th.
High times in the cabin last night! About midnight
the plates and dishes began to rattle vivaciously in the
pantry. Cups, saucers, and bottles precipitated them-
selves headlong, with a frantic desire to smash upon the
floor. The sugar-bowl took a flying leap across the
cabin, wildly dashing itself against the opposite door,
and leaving a white trail across the carpet to mark its
flight. Trunks rose up and rushed to mortal combat
with chairs and tables. The stove, hard pressed by blows
from all sides, held its ground manfully. The sofa
executed a double somersault in the highest style of acro-
batic art, only unforttmately breaking its neck in the
process, and suddenly depositing John, its occupant, under
the table. The furniture seemed possessed with a desire
for spiritual manifestations and emulous of the Davenport
brothers.
Going on deck today, we find a clearer sky and a fresh
north-west wind, which rolls us about, but hastens us on our
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Our West Indian Cruise 275
course. We have our sails set to aid our engine, and are
making eleven knots an hour, against six yesterday.
We are now in latitude 28 degrees, longitude 69 degrees,
and not more than six hundred miles from our destination.
Last night, for the first time since leaving Washington
we have seen the moon and a star or two. This morning
for the first time the deck is dry. The carpenter has been
called in to restrain the insane freaks of our unnily furni-
ture, and all is made "snug" and securely lashed.
At Sea, January 6th.
We are bowling along at eleven and a half knots an hour,
and are in latitude 24 degrees. Today we cross the
Tropic of Cancer, and tonight shall sleep within the torrid
zone. We have entered upon that region of the trade
wind "which is nature's highway" of western commerce.
We have crossed the track of Columbus's first voyage
of discovery; and San Salvador, where he first landed,
lies just to the west of us.
It will be a week today that we have been on board;
and during all that time we have not seen five minutes'
sunshine; although we were coming farther and farther,
as we had supposed, into what is the sun's peculiar domain.
But though we do not see him, we are steadily gaining
on him. We have stolen half an hour's march on him
already, as my watch declares. That, now, says half-
past eleven o'clock, which is your time in Washington
while here the ship's bell is striking noon.
Every day's stay on board brings new illustrations of
the admirable method and order which characterize a
man-of-war. A ship-of-war is the locality where that
often-quoted maxim is followed which, everywhere else,
is preached but not practised : " A place for everything and
everything in its place." Every rope is coiled in its own
particular spot. Every bucket hangs on its own particular
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276 Our West Indian Cruise
peg. Every spike and tool and hatchet, every gun and
cutlass, every inch of bunting, every grain of powder, every
ounce of coal is in the place where it can be most conven-
iently reached and is most commodiously stowed. It is a
standing remark, how so much can be put away in so small
a space, and yet every article be at hand at a moment's
notice. The rule applies equally to ofiBcers and men.
The daily form of "beating to quarters" is gone through
with, so that a roll of the drum may, at any time, summon
every man to the post which he is to occupy in action,
and impress upon him a perfect understanding of what he
is. to do there when that time comes. Thus the ship may
be put into perfect fighting condition in less time than it
takes a land pugilist to roll up his sleeves.
Sometimes the form of "beating to quarters" varies.
One day all are summoned to the guns; another, all are
stmimoned to the pumps. Neither a battle, a fire, nor a
leak can find the ship unprepared.
Our cabin, however, is at present an exception. Here
the usages of civil life have temporarily superseded naval
system, and here there is chaos enough sometimes.
Up to the present date we have had no day when we (the
inkstand will not stand steady on the table, so I write with
pencil) could sit at table. We have Uved Uterally from
hand to mouth. Today we made an attempt to lunch in
the cabin, but it resulted in total failure. The plates
became endowed with vitality, the herrings ttuned into
flying-fish, the apples went off as if to fulfil some engage-
ment to play at tenpins, and, as the ntirsery song says,
"the dish ran away with the spoon." So, on the whole,
we concluded to dine on deck again, while the De Soto^
Uke the world, "rolls on. "
It is the inflexible law on a ship-of-war that, although
the vessel is well lighted from stem to stem, there must be
no Ught not contained in a lantern, and there must be
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Our West Indian Cruise 277
absolutely no matches. Our exemption from this law we
concluded to put an end to, last night, on seeing a candle
jump from its candlestick into the bedclothes; and espe-
cially on learning that our cabin was placed just over the
magazine!
Part of the same orderly system of neatness is the contin-
ual cleaning up that is going on. There is every day some-
body scrubbing up the brass of the gims, somebody going
round with a pot of black paint, to touch up the boats,
the capstan, and the rail. This scrupulous neatness of
the decks reminds one of the floors of those models of
cleanliness, the Shakers at Niskajruna.
It seems that the reason of all the bad weather we are
having is because there are ladies on board. An old sailor
recalls the fact that on the frigate where he sailed the
weather never cleared up until the captain's wife was put
ashore. We are debating, therefore, whether we are
to be resigned to storms as long as we shall have the
ladies on board, or whether we shall throw them over-
board at once.
At Sea, January 7, 1866.
A pleasant Sunday momiilg. A rainbow gives token
that the rain is over, the wind and sea have abated, and
the thermometer has risen to seventy-seven degrees. We
breakfast for the first time in the cabin — our first breakfast
this year. The repast only varies from ordinary ones in
the amount of vigilance required to keep the dishes on the
table, and the calisthenic postures adopted to keep our
own seats.
This morning we have our first sign of land. Two white
birds are hovering round the ship, and one has perched,
for a moment, on the masthead. It was somewhere in this
vicinity that Columbus saw the same indication of his
nearness to the undiscovered land he sought.
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278 Our West Indian Cruise
At nine o'clock the dram beats to quarters for Sunday
inspection. The men are neatly dressed, and all in precise
order. Everything is carefully scrutinized, from stem to
stern. Then work is suspended for the day, except so
much as may be necessary for the navigation of the ship.
The men are gathered here and there in decorous and
cheerful groups. The officers are sitting reading under the
awning; quiet reigns throughout the ship. The whole
scene presents a Sabbath tranquillity that would do no
discredit to a Sunday in a country village of New England.
Usually there is divine service on Simday morning, the
captain officiating. Today as the weather and the motion
of the ship are not propitious, it is passed over.
As the evening draws on, the stars come out, and we sit
chatting on deck till late at night, without shawls or
overcoats, and hardly able to realize that it is not summer.
Off Porto Rico, Jan. 8, 1866.
At four this morning the captain notified us, according
to promise, that we could now see the Southern Cross.
We were soon on the moonlit deck, and found a calmer sea
and cloudless sky. Away off in the south were the four
bright stars forming the brilliant constellation that
the United States never look upon. Below it, in the dim
distance, was an obscure dark line, to which the captain
pointed: "That is Porto Rico."
January 8th, 12 m.
Decidedly we are in the tropics. To-day we realize it.
Blue waves, bright skies, and scorching sun. The mer-
cury touches eighty-seven degrees. The wind has sunk
into a soft summer breeze. Thin clothes are in demand.
The captain dons his straw hat, and the doctor his white
pantaloons. In the evening there are flashes of heat-
lightning near the distant horizon. On our starboard side
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the zodiacal light streams up into the sky, of a pale red-
dish tint somewhat resembling a mild aurora borealis.
Ice-water becomes a staple luxury. Meats have lost their
relish, and at table we dwell upon pleasing anticipations of
oranges and bananas. Conversing of some recent event
at Washington, it was referred to as having occurred *'last
winter" before we remembered that this winter is not over
yet, and that this is not July.
Our monotonous sea view was relieved this morning
by the appearance at the east of us of the rocky little isle
of Derecho, uninhabited save by gannets and sea-gulls.
We have entered the Mona Passage, and are now coast-
ing along the shores of Porto Rico. We can only see
that they are uneven in height and barren toward the
crest, but luxtiriant in vegetation at the foot, and that blue
mountains rise behind them. We have scanned them
with telescope, but can see no cities, villages, or houses,
either because we are too distant or because there are
none there to see. To the west of us the dim outline
of the island of Mona, lying in the centre of the Mona
Passage, and beyond that is, though invisible to us, the
coast of San Domingo.
So the scene of our adventures changes. We are no
longer on the open Atlantic Ocean. Under the lee of
Porto Rico, we are cruising in the Caribbean Sea, that
favourite scene of the fearful tales of the once famous
buccaneers, the Caribs, and the pirates of the Spanish
Main.
Under the lee of Porto Rico the wind is shut off, and
the sea is calm, like one of our lakes. Peering down into
its blue depths this morning, a look-out shouted that he
saw bottom. The bell instantly sounded the signal to
stop the engine, and for a moment there was excited
and hasty movement. When the paddle-wheels ceased
motion, one looking over the side of the ship down through
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28o Our West Indian Cruise
the dear water could easily see the irregular whitened
patches of sand and coral. We felt our way cautiously by
the lead for a while, and presently the chant of "By
the mark, five!" "By the mark, seven!" "By the deep,
ten!" " By the deep, twelve!" relieved us from our ap-
prehensions.
Latitude, today, i8 degrees. We are below Cuba and
the greater part of Mexico. We are farther south than
the great African desert, and about in the latitude of
Timbuctoo.
January 8th. Evening.
All this bright summer afternoon we have been running
along the shore of Porto Rico. The ship hardly makes
more than a ripple in the quiet sea, and we sit on deck
imder the awning, fanned by the gentlest of breezes,
watching the varying outline of the coast, reading and
chatting about its character and eventful history. As we
draw nearer to the shore we can observe that the mountain
ranges run from east to west, and that the broad, level
cotmtry between their base and the sea is covered with
luxuriant growth of sugar-cane, palms, and coflfee-trees.
Porto Rico is a fertile and productive island, with good
harbours but few great towns. It has a great deal of trade
in sugar, coffee, and tobacco, principally with the United
States. Columbus discovered it in the same year that he
discovered Cuba. But it has always occupied a secondary
place in public estimation and in the march of historical
events. And yet, if the statistics of the Porto Riquenos
themselves are reliable, it may challenge comparison. Its
soil is claimed to produce much more to the acre than Cuba.
Its climate is asserted to be much more salubrious. As
regards snakes, it is a rival of "Ould Erin," for there
is said to be no poisonous reptile in its borders. Even in
the matter of fidelity, it beats the **ever faithful isle,"
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Our West Indian Cruise 281
for it has been three centuries and a half under the flag of
Castile, and never strayed away to the embrace of invader
or revolutionist. The English made a lodgment on it
once, but the mortality among the troops was so great
that they were withdrawn, which would seem to prove that
the climate, so salubrious for Spaniards, does not agree
equally well with Englishmen, Then there was an
attempted revolution in 1820, but it languished and died
without ever coming to power.
But the romantic period in the history of Porto Rico was
in the days of Ponce de Leon; for this was his island.
As we look off toward the distant mountains over which
the golden sunshine is streaming with such mellow tints,
we recall his golden visions. How he and his followers
went there from Santo Domingo to seek the precious
metal, perhaps to find the "El Dorado." How they
fortified themselves against the deadly poisoned arrows,
which the Indians were said to dip in the juice of the
manchineel, so that they caused the instant death of
whomsoever they wounded. How the poor savages,
when they saw the gallant and glittering Spanish warriors,
forgot or forbore to use their poisoned arrows, supersti-
tiously beUeving that the white men were invincible and
inunortal, and if killed would come to life again — a belief
in which they were strengthened by seeing that as fast
as the Spaniards perished, fresh ones came down to-
join them from heaven, or from Santo Domingo, which
was the same thing as far as they were concerned. How
the docile islanders, submitting, were made slaves, and
compelled to dig for gold, until their cruel taskmasters
had done to death half a million of them. How Ponce de
Leon ransacked the golden sands of the rivers, and explored
the mountain rocks until he had gold to his heart's content,
sacks and bags full. How he was seized, then, with the
popular delusion of his time, of seeking the "Fotmtain of
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282 Our West Indian Cruise
Youth, ** whose waters insure perpetual life and strength
and beauty. How he interrogated the simple Indians, who
were ready to acknowledge anything he demanded of
them, and they told him the fountain was on an island
away off to the north and west. How he fitted out an
expedition, and went off to the north and west, cruising
through the Bahamas and Bermudas, going from island
to island, and tasting spring after spring, but everyday
getting older and older instead of younger and younger.
How, when he was almost despairing, there rose out of
the sea on Easter morning a radiant vision of an "island'*
of enchanting beauty, covered with such majestic trees,
carpeted with such rare verdure, and gemmed with such
charming flowers as never mortal man beheld before.
How he landed on it and took possession of it, and called
it ' ' Florida ' '—the name we call it by to this day. How he
celebrated high mass, and thanked Our Lady and Santiago
and all the saints and angels for having brought him, at
last, to the land of the ** Fountain of Youth.** How
months afterward he sailed into the harbour at Porto
Rico, and his friends rushed down to greet him and ask
how his errand had prospered; and how, when he stepped
ashore, sad and dejected, they drew back and dared not
ask him, for his grey beard and wrinkled cheeks showed
that the question would be a bitter mockery. True, he
had discovered the boundless resources of the American
continent; but what is the American continent to a man
who wants the Fountain of Youth?
And then, how his gracious Majesty, the King, who had
not had very great expectations about the fountain, but
was delighted to hear of any addition to his dominions,
thanked him and congratulated him on the discovety of
Florida, and sent him out a commission to be its governor
and viceroy. How Ponce de Leon loaded up his treasures
on two ships, and sailed back to Florida, where, like a wise
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St Thomas 283
and humane governor, he commenced his reign by exter-
minating his subjects. How they, being disloyally inclined
to live, resisted him and fought him, and, unb'ke the Porto
Riqueno Indians, did not hesitate to pour a shower of
arrows into the Spanish ranks, one of which hit and
mortally woimded Ponce de Leon. And then, at last,
how the poor old man was dragged down to his boat and
carried off to Havana, to give up that life which neither
his gold nor his governorship nor his Fountain of Youth
could save any longer.
Eight bells, is it? Then it is time to turn in. And so
here ends the journal of our first West Indian day.
St. Thomas, Jan. 9, 1866.
St Thomas. At six this morning we were summoned
on deck by the welcome news that we were approaching St.
Thomas. Looking from the bow of the steamer, a beauti-
ful panorama gradually opened before and around us.
The sky was dear, the sea blue and tranquil, and islands
rising from it on every hand, of varying size and contour,
some seeming mere isolated rocks, some resembling green
hillocks, some like the faint outlines of distant motmtains.
Largest of all, near us and directly before us, was St.
Thomas, with its high, steep hills covered with verdure
on the top, but here and there terminating at the base, on
the sea, in abrupt, craggy cliffs and reefs.
As we came nearer, the sunshine lightened up two fan-
tastic shapes. One was a white rock looking like a ship
under full sail. ("Sail Rock, " they call it.) The other
was a high, rocky wall of variegated tints — ^red, yellow,
and purple.
Presently the hills before us grew more distinct, houses
began to appear here and there, and gradtially the harbour
opened to view — a deep hollow almost encircled by the
steep hills, crowned here and there by a fort, a signal
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284 St Thomas
station, or a picturesque-looking villa; while the town
itself, with its regular architecture, its rows of sqtxare
yellow houses with square red roofs, and its circular-headed
trees, presented an appearance somewhat resembling that
of a German toy village. It stands on three hills of about
equal height, making three triangular-shaped groups of
buildings. Sailing vessels, large and small, under various
flags, and here and there a large ocean steamer, were riding
at anchor. Altogether, it was a picture so vivid in colour-
ing and so suddenly spread before us that it was like the
drop scene of a theatre.
And now there comes dancing off toward us a little
white boat bearing a red flag with a white cross, and
rowed by men with white clothes and black faces. In it is
the pilot. He climbs the ladder and gives us the latest
papers from New York, of the 29th of December, which
are not so late as our own, and those from Southampton,
which are later. We enter the harbour, drop the anchor,
and are presently surrounded by boats whose occupants
are of every possible shade of complexion; the men airy in
straw hats and white and brown linen, the women gorgeous
in Madras handkerchiefs of biight-flowered patterns.
These are voluble and earnest in their proffers to do our
washing or to furnish us with tropical fruits of every
variety.
Presently come various visitors: West Indian gentlemen
with swarthy Spanish features; American merchants and
sea captains; soon after the United States Consul, and
under his guidance we row ashore, leaving the jurisdiction
of the Navy Department for the more accustomed one
of the Department of State.
Everything on shore looks quaint, bizarre, and odd to
our American eyes. It is a medley of all nations, races,
and languages. Narrow, crooked streets, of hard, dry
earth, run between rows of Spanish- or Moorish-looking
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St Thomas 285
houses, with thick, strong walls, arched doorways and
windows. They are rarely more than one or two stories
high. No carriages and no waggons; but here and there
a horse or a donkey, loaded with sugar-canes projecting^
all around him like the quills of a porcupine. Crowds of
negroes, of mulattoes, and of people of all shades of colour
are traversing the streets in al directions, all vociferating,
gesticulating, laughing, talking, shouting, at once. Some
of the women are canying burdens on their heads. Most
of the men are lounging lazily. None seem to have any
especial aim or purpose; but they pass and repass, go and
come, and perpetually reappear, now in one group, now in
another, now on the sidewalk, now on the street, but always
shouting, talking, and laughing at the longest possible
range and on the highest possible key.
Some are standing in the sun munching bananas,
some sitting down in the shade and sucking long sticks
of sugar-cane. Their language is generally EngUsh, but
with Spanish accent and negro intonation that make
it impossible for a newcomer to tmderstand. Many of
them are traders. A man requires no other capital than
a tub at the street comer, half filled with bananas, cane,
oranges, cocoanuts, sapodillas, and other fruits, plucked
from trees that grow wild on the hillsides. A woman
generally carries her stock on a board placed on her head.
This she balances with the utmost ease and precision,
almost unconsciously, walking with an erect, queenly
gait, but without restraint, pausing now and then to drop
a courtesy, or exchange a remark, or make a bargain
with perfect self-possession, and spilling nothing, however
great the crowd or haste may be.
We stopped at the hotel to rest a moment, and then
climbed the hill toward the residence of the consul, which
stands on a fine airy plateau overlooking the bay.
The houses at St. Thomas are well built, and are pecul-
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286 St Thomas
iarly adapted to the climate. One, or sometimes two
stories high, most of them have windows and doors on
every side, to catch every breath of air and give every
facility for ventilation. For the same reason, the rooms
on a floor are so arranged as to be practically thrown into
one, and this one is opened up to the rafters of the roof.
It has a strange look to Northern eyes, especially as there
is no fireplace, no chimney, no place even for a stovepipe.
Generally the cellar walls are of solid masonry, and a
substantial flight of stone or brick steps leads to the upper
door. Thus, in earthquakes and hurricanes, the family
has only to retire to this basement stronghold to fed
secure, and the superstructure may topple down or blow
away, if it chooses. But such events are very rare. The
houses, for the most part, have apparently stood for forty
or fifty years without being destroyed by any elemental
convulsion.
Within, all arrangements wear the same tropical aspect.
No carpets, except a rug under the centre table. No
curtains to obstruct the windows, but cool easy-chairs and
lounges, fans, blinds, shades, and whatever else may
conduce to keeping cool.
The dooryard and garden are as novel as the house.
There is a profusion of shrubs and flowers and trees, hardly
one of which can be recognized as having been seen at
home. It is January, yet the flowers are abundant. It is
winter, and yet everything is green. It is not the season
of fruits; yet fruits hang everywhere, tempting the touch
and the eye. There is the cocoanut, the palm, the banana,
the orange, the lemon, the shaddock, the forbidden fruit,
the soursop, the lime, the sapodilla, the plantain, the
coffee tree, the cotton tree, the India-rubber tree, the
agave, the guava, and a hundred others, to us new and
unknown.
Luxuriant vines and creepers trail up and down the walls,
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St Thomas 287
among them roses and jessamines, the only two familiar
acquaintances we meet. The walks are bordered with
large conch shells, here worth only a few cents a hundred,
though with us so rare and valuable. The cacti in varieid
profusion dimb up the angles of the house and wall, of
dimensions that make those of our conservatories look
dwarf-like.
Leaving the Consulate, we descended the hill to call at
the house of Mr. Phillips, an American merchant, who
kindly offered to place it at our disposition during our
stay. Here was a pretty children's party going on, in
celebration of the ninth birthday of his little daughter.
Some twenty or thirty boys and girls composed the
guests. Music and dancing, and sweets of all classes,
graced the entertainment.
Thence we take a walk through the streets, looking at
the shops and the churches. Of the latter there are
many, for the town is composed of all religions, as of all
nationalities.
The Episcopal, the Catholic, the Lutheran, the Metho-
dist, the Baptist, the Jew, are all represented in the church
edifices; and looking down the line of wharves, one sees
the Spanish flag, the English, the American, the French,
the Russian, the Italian, the Swedish, the Hamburg, the
Bremen, the Dutch, the Chilian, the Peruvian, the Co-
lombian, the Brazilian, the Mexican, the Haytian, and I
know not how many more, waving over the offices of their
respective consuls.
On returning to our ship we found all these consuls,
who had come on board in a body with the Danish gover-
nor of the island. The latter, with his aides, on reaching
the deck, was duly honoured with a salute, to which the fort
— a picturesque, old-fashioned work — responded through
the mouths of old-fashioned guns, cast long before the
days of Parrott and Dahlgren.
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288 St Thomas
Other visitors followed — the ofiScers of ships, the
merchants, the citizens, the oflBcials, travellers, etc. After
that, another row to the town, and a glance at the fish
market — as curious in its products as the garden. Fish of
form and colour unknown in Washington Market, some
brilliant crimson, some bright green, blue, white, and
yellow, reminding one of those enchanted fish described in
the Arabian Nights' tale of The Fisherman and the Genie.
We had some fried for dinner, and foimd them good
eating, though, unlike their celebrated counterparts, they
did not turn into princes and princesses.
St. Thomas, January loth.
The night has been enlivened by the coaling of the
steamer. Like everything else at St. Thomas, this com-
monplace business here takes on a picturesque aspect.
The labourers are men with barrows and women with
baskets, which they carry on their heads, and they march
on board in procession by moonlight, to the sound of the
fife and violin, empty their coal into the bimkers, and
march oflE again. For a night's work they receive a dollar
and a half apiece.
Today is raining and showery and windy. Instead of
the usual trade wind from the eastward, we have a north-
wester blowing down from the hills. To us it seems
pleasantly cool after the heat of yesterday. To the West
Indians it seems chilly and uncomfortable. We are
amused at every step by the difference in our respective
notions of temperature. One gentleman gravely informs
us that he has experienced a cold tmcomfortable night,
the basis of his complaint being that he was obliged to
cover himself with a single blanket and spread.
Another warns us against the bad effects of a draught of
cold air, and proceeds to close doors and windows against
what seems to us the faintest and most desirable of
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St Thomas 289
zephyrs. When we propose to take a walk, they tell us it
will occupy twenty minutes, and, to our siuprise, it occu-
pies but five at our usual rate of progression. Invalids
though we are, we walk distances up and down the hills
through the misty air, which our St. Thomas friends
sitting sheltered under verandas and awnings think
extraordinary and fatiguing.
To visit a rural seat which a patriotic American has
rented and christened *'Bimker Hill," we take a two-
horse carriage, one of the two vehicles of that sort that St.
Thomas boasts. At the foot of the acclivity, however, our
horses stop and positively refuse to go one step farther,
apparently thinking this eminence as diffictdt to be gained
as its historical prototype was.
So we ascend on foot, and are amply repaid for our
trouble by the magnificent view of the harbour, the islands,
the shipping, and the town which lies at our feet. Behind
and around us are hills, once cultivated, but now neg-
lected and desolate, covered with rank grasses, wild herbs,
and cactuses of every kind, some erect and stiff, some
rectimbent, trailing or climbing, many in flower, and a
few bearing their ripened, prickly fruit.
On two of the heights near the town are a couple of
ancient-looking castellated edifices which were originally
built as strongholds by the buccaneers. One is called
"Blackbeard's Castle, *' and is popularly asstmied to have
belonged to the renowned pirate of that name. The
other has a still more doubtful legend which describes
it as the veritable mansion of that terrible Bluebeard of
nursery fame; and the dungeon of the poor lady who tried
one key too many is pointed out, as well as the tower
from which "Sister Ann" descried the approaching doud
of dust that heralded the coming rescue.
From the fictitious chieftain we go to visit a real one.
In a pleasant, airy residence, overlooking the bay, we find
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290 St. Thomas
the Mexican ex-President, General Santa Anna, who had
sent congratulations and kind wishes to the Secretary of
State on his arrival. He rises from his table, covered
with papers and manuscripts, to bid us welcome with
Castilian courtesy, and then sits down to chat awhile on
the past, present, and future of Mexico. He is a large,
tall, fine-looking man, of Spanish features and complexion,
dark keen eyes and dark hair, and showing no sign of
bodily infirmity save a slight limp. One would pronounce
him between fifty and sixty, instead of being, as he really
is, nearly seventy. Briefly recapitulating his position in
reference to Mexican national politics, he says he is, and
always has been, a Republican and a Conservative; that
his people have failed thus far in maintaining their inde-
pendence because they lacked organization and a head;
that partisan dissensions between them opened the way to
the French invasion, but that the French domination is
repugnant to them; that Jaurez is an uneducated Indian,
once an hostler, incapable of grasping the high responsi-
bilities of hi^ present position, or of xmiting the Mexican
people in his support; that, on the other hand, the Empire
of Maximilian is a delusion and a failure, that it loses
strength instead of gaining it, and is a drain instead of a
source of revenue to the French exchequer; that the day
is approaching, perhaps not far remote, when the Mexicans
will retmite for nationality and liberty; that when they do
so unite, they cannot but succeed; that he, for himself, is
impatient for the accomplishment of that patriotic pur-
pose; that once he sacrificed one leg in fighting for his
country, and is now ready, if need be, to sacrifice the other
in the same manner; that he hopes in this coming contest
for American s)rmpathy and American aid. Finally, he
places in our hands a copy of his recent Proclamation, in
which his views and his purposes are even more fully set
forth.
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St Thomas 291
Ptom Santa Anna's we descend the hill to Mr. Phillips's,
and thence to the wharf. While waiting for the boat, to
return on board, we are amused by the scene of street life
passing before us. A shower comes up, and then a sudden
gathering of incongruous characters for shelter under the
awning of the opposite store. A crowd of women, all
turbaned with Madras handkerchiefs, bearing all sorts
of burdens on their heads, are standing conversing, or
rather loudly jabbering at each other, in that negro dia-
lect which is the principal sotmd heard at St. Thomas.
None of them seem to be in the least incommoded by the
heavy weights they carry, and walk about, gesticulate,
and laugh and talk, without even taking the trouble to
set their burdens down on the groimd while they are
waiting there. A caballero, well dressed, but swarthy,
unceremoniously rides his horse right in amongst them on
the sidewalk, under the awning, and stands there, his com-
ing evidently being accepted as a matter of course. Two
drunken negroes get up a vociferous quarrel, whose
threatening tones and gestures would seem to imply
immediate resort to blows; but neither contemplates any
such result, and they content themselves with noisy
demonstrations toward each other at a distance of fifty
feet. Then there comes a lady in the height of extrava-
gant fashion, dressed in delicate light fabrics, a head-dress
of Parisian elegance, a train of court dimensions, picking
her way through the mud in satin shoes. She is a mulatto ;
as is a gentleman in a high shirt-collar, white coat, and
pantaloons, and with a dignified step and businesslike
air, who is pointed out to us as one of the richest men of
the island.
We row back to the ship, and find that in the gale she
has had a narrow escape from serious trouble. She had
dragged her anchor and drifted nearly into collision with
the English steamer, and subsequently was in danger of
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292 St Thomas
getting ashore. The captain had by vigorous efforts
rescued her, and she was now securely anchored again at a
little distance from her former grotmd.
At five this afternoon we returned to the town to dine
with the Governor. He had kindly sent his carriage,
which was in waiting for us at the wharf. A salute of
fifteen guns from the fort welcomed the Secretary of State.
The road led us up a winding but not steep ascent, along
the hillside and through the woods, to his house, which
has a commanding position on the very top, and overlooks
the whole city. We found his family agreeable, refined,
hospitable, warm in their Danish patriotism, as well as
fully observant and sympathetic in our American contest.
His two daughters had just returned to the island, having
finished their education in Copenhagen. The dinner
party consisted only of his family and oflSdal aides, our-
selves, and the captain of our ship. The dinner was like a
dinner in Washington, except that (like ourselves) the
host and hostess tmdervalued the productions of their own
region, and set before their guests foreign delicacies arti-
ficially preserved. It closed with the pleasant Danish
custom, the words "Well bekommen," and handshaking
with each guest.
We returned by what looked like a perilous breakneck
ride, the night being pitch dark, and the road winding
by abrupt turns around the hillside and along the edge of
the cliff. Had we been endeavouring to find the way our-
selves, we should have infallibly driven over the precipice.
But the Governor's two white horses (the only things visi-
ble to us) knew the way perfectly and followed it, bringing
us safely back to the wharf.
January loth, 1866.
Yonder, on the heights overlooking the town, stand the
ruins of the two ancient stone structures built and occu-
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St Thomas 293
pied, two centuries ago by the buccaneers. While the
sunshine lights up the jagged outline of their grey battle-
ments, we sit in the shade of this hospitable veranda,
enjoying a delicious breeze, and still more delicious tropical
fruits, while we chat with our companions over what is
known here about the towers and the piratical rovers
who built them.
Traditions and legends of the buccaneers still abound
in the West Indies, but materials for authentic history of
them are scanty, for they were not much given to records'
and statistics.
When they began their piratical career they were
few in numbers and poor in resources. A becalmed mer-
chant vessel would have its first warning of them by see-
ing a small boat stealthily and rapidly approaching,
with no human being visible above its sides, and present-
ing only its sharp bows toward the ship, so as to baffle the
skill of her gunners. Once alongside, up would spring
fifty or a hundred horrible-looking villains, armed to the
teeth with sabres, guns, and pistols, who, climbing like
cats over the bulwarks, would potu- down upon the
deck and commence a bloody massacre of all they found
there. Desperadoes by profession, they would recklessly
attack even superior nimibers, trusting to the suddenness
of the surprise to achieve success. Sometimes their
captain would scuttle his boat as he approached the ship,
leaving his men only the alternative of drowning or of
boarding and overpowering the crew. Sometimes he
would be ready, with lighted match, to fire the magazine,
in case the fight should go against him, and so send both
the buccaneers and their victims to swift destruction.
When the crew surrendered, if they did so without resist-
ance, and without concealment of whatever valuables
might be on board, they were sometimes spared and set
ashore; but even this was a matter of caprice with the
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294 StThomas
pirates, who, for the most part, seem to have preferred to
butcher or throw them overboard at once. All sorts of
wild and some very improbable stories are told of the
atrocities of Morgan, Montbar, De Basco, Lolonois, Law-
rence, and other pirate captains who have come to special
renown, and who still figure with incredible vices and im-
possible virtues in the pages of popular fiction.
As a generd thing, outward-bound European vessels
were not molested by them, for these had but little spoil to
invite attack. Their favourite prizes were the treasure-
laden galleons from the Spanish Main, whose stores of
metaJs and precious stones were at once their most profit-
able and most portable harvest.
At first they used to rendezvous at the little island of
Tortuga, oflE the north shore of Hay ti, where they fortified
themselves. But very soon their captures supplied them
with vessels, arms, and wealth, which enabled them to
enlarge their operations and establish themselves at
different points on various islands, where they could
divide their booty, carouse, riot, and squander it, and then
plan new schemes for getting more. Other reckless char-
acters from the islands and from Europe flocked in to join
them, and before long they became masters of the Carib-
bean. Emboldened by their success on the sea, they next
turned their attention to the land, and fitted out expe-
ditions to attack and ravage the Spanish and Dutch settle-
ments. Maracaibo, Porto Bello, Carthagena, Campeachy,
and Vera Cruz were successively plundered; and, crossing
the Isthmus, they took Panama, and inaugurated a new
series of piratical operations up and down the Pacific
coast. It is a striking illustration of the feebleness of
European naval strength and the remoteness of the West
Indies at that date, that Spain and Holland, two chief mari-
time powers in Europe, were tmable to arrest, or even
check, the exploits of these bands of piratical adventurers.
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St Thomas 295
Their career culminated at last, however, as many a
better one has, by their "killing the goose that laid
the golden eggs. " When they had captured or sunk the
vessels engaged in carrying treasure, and robbed and
burned the towns where it was stored, the very impunity
with which they had done it discouraged the renewal of
the commercial ventures so entirely at the mercy of
such unscrupulous marauders. "Trade diminished, ships
decreased in ntmiber, and towns were no longer built
and supplied to be sacked." The buccaneers gradually
found themselves without business. They scattered in
various directions; and those that escaped the hangman, or
violent death in drunken brawls, were reduced to honest
industry for a living. So ended that bloody page of West
Indian history; and so the two old towers at St. Thomas
fell into dilapidation and decay, as we see them today.
In the garden they point out to us the coffee-tree with
its leaves of glossy green, like our laurel. When the fruit
is ripening it looks not unlike a cherry, red, sweet, and
palatable. The preparation of the coffee for market is
simple. The fruit is gathered, dried, passed between
rollers which remove the skin and pulp from the kernel,
then passed through a fanning-mill to separate the chaff,
and it is ready for use. But the longer it is kept the better
it becomes, for age improves coffee as it does wine. It is
claimed here that the superiority of the Mocha coffee is due
to this cause, the fruit being no better except that it is
preserved longer before being shipped.
The coffee-tree of Arabia is the parent of all the others.
The Dutch carried it from there to Batavia, and after-
ward from Batavia to the West Indies. They presented
two trees to the King of Prance, which were kept as curi-
osities in the royal garden. When a failure of crops
in Martinique threatened that island with disaster unless
some new cultivation was resorted to, the French Govem-
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296 St. Thomas
ment sent out a messenger bearing two shoots from the
royal coflEee-trees. The voyage was long and tedious,
the vessel's supply of water was scanty, and the King's
messenger only saved his coflEee-trees by dividing with
them his daily allowance of it. He did save them, and
they were the origin d stock of all the coflfee-trees in Mar-
tinique and San Domingo.
The coflfee-tree likes the same tropical climate as the
sugar-cane, but the sugar-cane prefers the lowland, and
the coflEee-tree the upland. In many islands the two
crops, on hill and dale, stand side by side, presaging
the neighbourly position of coflEee-pot and sugar-bowl on
our breakfast-tables.
Pausing before a market woman surroimded by piles of
tropical fruit, Mr. Seward inquired the price of her
bananas.
"Got no bananas today, mas'r. "
"Are not these yours, then?" said he, pointing with his
cane to a hugh pile of the red fruit so abundant, in its
season, in New York fruit stands.
"Bress your soul, mas'r, dose not bananas; dose is
plantains. "
So we learned that what we eat in New York as the
banana is, in fact, the plantain, here considered not fit
to be eaten at all until it is cooked, while the delicate
yellow fruit resembling it is the real banana; but as that
is smaller, and the American purchaser likes to get a good
deal for his money, he is furnished with the coarser and
cheaper plantain.
The banana and its kindred fruit, the plantain, are food
of universal constunption in the West Indies. Everybody
eats them. You find them on the tables of the rich, in the
hovels of the poor, in the hands of the children, and among
the rations of the soldier. Their growth is exceedingly
rapid. Planted from cuttings, the tree attains its full
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St Thomas 297
size in a single year, and commences bearing its heavy
bunches of fruit.
St. Thomas, January 11, 1866.
The little steamer which runs between St. Thomas and
Santa Cruz last night brought over Mr. Moore, our vice-
consul at Frederikstedt, who, with Mr. Walker, our consul
here, came on board to breakfast with us. He reported a
rough night of it, the voyage occupying ten hours. It is
usually made in two.
Early hours are among the good habits of the people of
St. Thomas. The town was apparently all asleep between
nine and ten o'clock last night, and was all up and doing
at seven this morning.
The morning was occupied in visiting the shore, com-
pleting our purchases, dispatching visits of ceremony, and
taking leave of our friends. We carry away from St.
Thomas coflfee and tropical fruits, to which collection of
West Indian products Dr. Brody has added two green
parrots, some curious minerds and tortoise-shells, a carved
calabash, and some concentrated oil of bay leaves, suflS-
dent to make bay rum enough to last a lifetime.
Between two and three o'clock we took our departure.
The trip was singularly beautiful, passing surrounding
islands of all sizes and distances; Santa Cruz before us,
St. John's and Tortola on the left, and various little rocky
islets on the right.
St. Thomas has been not inaptly described as a place
which is on the way to every other place in the West Indies.
To go anywhere, from anywhere else, you go first to St.
Thomas. This is not merely on account of its central
position, but because of its commercial character. It
is a free port, and therefore a favourite place for both
buyers and sellers who want a market. This brings
shipping and travel, and makes it the point for steam
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298 St Thomas
lines and mail communications, both with New York and
Southampton.
The island, before the emancipation era, is said to have
been agricultural. Now it is commercial, merely. All
its population, and all its activity, is concentrated in the
town and in trade. The hills and savannas, once occupied
by plantations of cane, etc., are now deserted, and left to
wild fruits and trees and grasses. No fences, fields, or
habitations.
Of the population of eleven thousand, nearly seven-
eighths are coloured people of all shades. They are labour-
ers and traders, as opporttmity oflEers, in the town, but
few, if any, cultivators of the rural soil. Of the whites,
there is a sprinkling of every nationality, each speaking
their own language; but the one prevailing tongue for
business and social purposes is English. The Danish
element is an inconsiderable fraction in numbers, though
it is the ruling one, having all the civil officials and the
garrison of the forts.
The story of St. Thomas is briefly this: Just about two
hundred years ago, the Danes, finding that the other
maritime nations of Europe were taking possession of the
islands in the Caribbean Sea, thought they might as well
take one themselves. They pitched upon St Thomas, not
because it had special attractions, but simply because it
was the only one they could get, being remote and unin-
habited. The English raised some objection to their
going even there, but did not insist upon it. So the
Danes took the rocky Uttle island and planted some colo-
nists on it, who tried to raise a few hogsheads of sugar.
There was a capacious harbour on the southern side, but
nobody attached much importance to that, for in those
days harbours were plenty and ships were few. The
Danes left the port open to everybody without commercial
restriction, for the poor colonists were only too happy if
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St Thomas 299
anybody would come into that unfrequented, out-of-the-
way region to trade with them.
It was about this time that the "buccaneers" were
ravaging and plundering on the Caribbean Sea and
along the Spanish Main, capturing the gold-laden gal-
leons, hanging their captains at the yardarm, and throw-
ing their crews overboard. But pirates, like other men,
when they have gotten a prize, need a port to take it into.
The buccaneers dared not take captured vessels to the
Spanish settlements. They could not take them to
the French and English settlements, for those were on
the Windward Islands, and they would have to beat all the
way against the trade wind blowing "dead ahead. "
But here was the snug, quiet harbour of St. Thomas, out
of the way of Spanish frigates, without any custom-houses
to molest, or any courts to make afraid, and so placed that
their craft would have a favourable breeze, both going
in and coming out. Very soon, therefore, St. Thomas
became the favourite rendezvous of the buccaneers with
their prizes. Very soon, too, traders from afar off snuffed
up the scent of their ill-gotten gains. As soon as it became
generally known that there were people at St. Thomas with
pockets full of gold which they were eager to squander,
merchants flocked in with everjrthing that such folks
would like to buy. Then there were others who found it
equally convenient — smugglers who wanted a place
from which to run contraband cargoes to Porto Rico and
Santa Cruz; vessels in distress that wanted a port to repair
and refit; merchant vessels, in time of war (which was
nearly all the time), seeking a neutral port for refuge
from the enemy's cruisers. To all these St. Thomas
oflEered a safe anchorage of easy access, without restric-
tions, and a good market. It grew and throve, and
prospered beyond the anticipation of its founders. It
was the one free port of the West Indies, and soon be-
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300 St Thomas
came a centre of trade. "Free traders*' (which in those
days included freebooters) brought it business and life
and consequence.
In later years, when the pirates were dead and the
smugglers suppressed, and "free trade" came to mean
only freedom from duties and imposts, it continued to
grow. The settlers named the city after the Danish Queen,
Charlotte Amalia; and the Danish Government wisely
abstained from collecting revenue, preferring to let nat-
ural laws continue to build them up a great commercial
entrepdt there. When steamers began to take the place
of sailing packets, they naturally followed the same
channels of trade, and so St. Thomas has come to be a
place where steam lines converge. Furthermore, it hap-
pens to be so centrally placed that lines drawn from Eng-
land to Central America, from Spain to Cuba and Mexico,
from the United States to Brazil, from the Windward
Islands to the Leeward ones, all meet and cross each
other there; and you will see, riding at anchor in its har-
bour, steamers from Southampton, from New York, from
Bordeaux, from Cadiz, from Bremen, besides sailing craft
wearing the flags of every nation that "goes down to the
sea in ships. " In a word, St. Thomas is the result of three
advantages it has over other West Indian islands — a, fine
harbour, a central position, and freedom of trade.
There are in the world a few isolated points whose
possession enables the power that holds them to control
trade, and to direct naval and military operations with
especial advantage. Gibraltar and Aden, the Darda-
nelles, Sebastopol, Panama and Havana, Quebec and Key
West are such places. Great Britain especially has always
had a keen eye for such points. They have enabled her to
domineer over remote regions, very unexpectedly to their
inhabitants. She finds such an one in a sterile rock,
a worthless sand-bar, or narrow strait; and presently it
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St Thomas 301
bristles with her guns and forts, and surrounding nations
find she has made a succcessf ul move in that great game of
chess, of which the world is the board and we are all castles
and pawns.
St. Thomas is a point of this sort. Happily, it early fell
into possession of Denmark, an enterprising power, strong
enough to keep it, but not aggressive enough to use it as a
base of warfare. It has as peculiar advantages for a naval
station as it has for commercial support. Dangerous
reefs and breakers surround it, so that it wotdd be difficult
to land troops to attack it, and it would be easy to repel
such attack by fortifications on its commanding heights.
The harbour is a great basin, capacious enough for a small
navy; and its entrance, though safe and easy, is through
a narrow strait, which even the diminutive forts and
antiquated ordnance of the Danes are able to defend. Its
history demonstrates that it is the place of places to coal,
repair, refit, and take refuge from enemies or storms. It
would have been of infinite value to us had we owned it
during our late war, and of great vahxe to the Confederates
had they owned it. It was fortunate for us that it was
in the possession of a power not only just, but friendly
to the United States. Our vessels, however unfairly
treated at British and French ports, found always a wel-
come at St. Thomas, a place for repairs and supplies, and
one that gave no aid or comfort to the rebels.
The early Portuguese and Spanish discoverers were good
Catholics. When they came to a new locality they gener-
ally named it out of the Church calendar in honour, some-
times, of their own patron saint, sometimes of the patron
saint of their country, sometimes of the saint on whose
day the discovery was made. So nearly every apostle,
evangelist, and martyr came to have his seaport, his
island, cape, or mountain.
Columbus gave to the first land he discovered the titll
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302 Santa Cruz
of the "Island of the Holy Saviour" (San Salvador).
Cuba he did not name, having some doubts whether it was
not the Asiatic Cipango. So it has retained its aboriginal
name to this day. Hayti, the island he prized highest
of ail he had foimd, he affectionately and patriotically
called "La Isla Espanola" (The Spanish Isle). Upon its
ports he bestowed saintships freely. When he came to
this group of what seemed to be a myriad of little islets,
he named them the "Virgin Islands," in honour of St.
Ursula and her eleven thousand virgin martyrs, whose
bones are still exhibited to incredulous eyes at Cologne.
Later, when irreverent Dutch, English, and Spanish
navigators got among them, some of the virgins were
rechristened, in detail, with odd enough names, based
usually on some fanciful resemblance seen from the ship's
deck. Thus, one is "The Hat" (sombrero), another "The
Thatch," while others are "The Turtle," "The Crab,"
"The Snake," "The Prickly Pear," "The Fat Girl,"
"Beef Island, " and " Jost Van Dykes, " with an occasional
sprinkling of saints— "St. Peter," "St. Thomas," "St.
John," and "Santa Cruz."
We steamed over to Santa Cruz before dusk, in time to
have a fine view of the island, and of the harbour of
Prederikstedt. But the wind had raised an unusual
surf, and the landing after dark was found difficult, and
so reluctantly abandoned till morning. The harbour is
rather an open roadstead; and, though the customary
trade wind does not reach or disturb it, it is exposed
to high winds from another quarter.
January 12, 1866.
Santa Cruz. Early this morning we debarked at the
wharf at Prederikstedt. Mr. Moore, the Acting Consul,
had carriages in readiness, and in them we traversed the
island from one end to the other.
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Santa Cruz 303
It was a drive of about twenty miles over a road of easy
grade and curves, and throughout its whole extent almost
as smooth as a floor. On each side of it was a continuous
row of cocoanut and mountain cabbage pdms. Similar
avenues diverged from it and crossed it at various points.
The fields by the roadside and as far as visible were
planted with sugar-cane and tropical fruits. There were
no fences or hedges, and the general aspect of the land-
scape was that of a great garden, luxuriant vegetation
covering every hill and dale, with here and there a group
of white buildings amid the trees.
These were the mansions of the owners of the sugar
estates, each surrounded by its mills and labourers' cot-
tages. The labourers themselves were of all shades of
colour, all busy, and for the most part tidy, intelligent,
and thrifty-looking.
Remembering our single harvest of hay in the course
of a year, it occurred to me to ask how many such harvests
there were during the year in this island. Mr. Moore
could not say, but, stopping the carriage, inquired of an
old negress who was cutting the grass around her cottage
with a sickle, "Auntie, how often do you cut the grass
here, in the course of a year?"
*'Law, sir, I dunno, I 'spect we cuts it every time it
rains. "
That explained why there were no hajrstacks. The
hay-harvest, it seems, is perpetual.
This reminded one of the gentlemen who accompanied
us of an experience that a New Englander had, who
brought a hive of bees here from the States, thinking
they would make honey for him all the year round. But
the bees, after the first year's experience, discovered that,
where there was no winter, there was no need of laying
up stores of honey, so they abandoned the habit of making
any, except for daily use.
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304 Santa Cruz
A noticeable feature of the drive was the frequent
appearance of schoolhouses, at almost every junction of
crossroads. They compared very favourably with
country schoolhouses in New York and New England.
It was about noon when we arrived at Christianstedt.
This is a seat of government, whose offices are in a sub-
stantial and stately edifice.
The Governor received his guests with military honours
and a collation. Here we met some Americans who
were spending the winter in the genial climate of Santa
Cruz. Among them was our old friend Mr. Wells of
express fame, and the founder of Wells College at
Aurora.
After an hour or two spent in looking at the government
buildings and walking through the streets of the quaint,
substantial little capital, we returned to Frederikstedt,
the Governor and his staff accompanying us. On the way
we stopped at one or two of the larger sugar estates, to see
their methods of making sugar and to look at the view from
them of the Caribbean Sea.
My father was much interested in the conversation of
these intelligent and well-informed Danes. He inquired
particularly into the laws and general polity which had
prevailed in the government of these islands. Besides
the little islets, there are but three of any considerable
magnitude, — St. Thomas, St. John, and Santa Cruz. One
of these is the garden spot, and another the favourite har-
bour of the West Indies. Using them with judgment, and
treating their inhabitants with paternal kindness, the
Danes have governed these islands wisely and well, and
have led their people gradually into the paths of industry,
morality, and competence. Denmark, alone of all the
European Powers having West Indian possessions, has
solved successfully the problems presented by Emancipa-
tion.
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Santa Cruz 305
"As you know, sir," remarked one of the officers,
"emancipation in the other islands reduced many of the
whites to poverty, drove others to Europe, decreased
population, ruined trade, left towns to decay and fields
to run to waste. But here careful forethought and strict
administration have maintained prosperity. "
I observed that everybody I saw was at work. There
were no loungers.
"There are none. Every proprietor cultivates his land,
because it is his interest to do so. Every labourer works
under a contract regulated by law for his advantage. He
has, besides his wages, a piece of land allotted to him, where
he can raise vegetables for his family or for market.
He is given a half or a whole day, in each week, to cultivate
it, and is expected to do so. Every landowner has to keep
the road good which passes his property, and to keep up its
rows of palm trees, by replacing any that die or are de-
stroyed. Every child has a schoolhouse within walking
distance and is required to attend it, unless sick.
"You are about to experience the eflEects of Emancipation
in your Southern States, Mr. Seward. Would not some
stringent laws like these avert the danger of their falling
into disorder or decay?"
"Possibly. But our system of government, you will
remember, is very different from European ones. It is
one of our doctrines that the best government governs
least. We try to guard the rights of person and property,
but trust greatly to individual enterprise. Our people are
impatient of too close a supervision of their business
affairs, and think they can manage them better than any
government can. **
"It must be conceded that they have done so thus far. "
It was just dusk when we parted from our hospitable
friends, who accompanied us to the wharf. In another hour
we were taking oiu* last look from the De Soto's deck at the
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3o6 San Domingo
Isle of the Holy Cross,
Gem of the Carib Sea.
At Sea, Jan. 13, 1866.
San Domingo* Let us take an inventory this morning of
the tropical curiosities and products which have accumu-
lated in our cabin during our three days of West Indian
island visiting. First, there are two green parrots; one
with a yeUow head, staid and taciturn, one with a red head,
voluble and conceited. Next we have two barrels of
tropical fruits, Umes, lemons, oranges, cocoanuts, bananas,
etc., upon which we live luxuriously three times a day.
Then there are two bags of coflEee from San Domingo.
Then there is a quaintly carved calabash from Venezuela,
some rich mineral specimens, and some tortoise-shells from
the same locality. Then there are two bottles of the quin-
tessence of perfumery, viz., the essential oil of bay leaves,
one drop of which is warranted to prepare a quart bottle of
bay rum. Then there are canes of the lime and orange
trees that grow at Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz and Jamaica are both celebrated for their
rum. It is hardly necessary to say that it is age which
gives it its chief superiority. The cane doubtless grows as
well in other islands, but the rum distilled from it either is
not as well made or as long kept as in these two. Even
in these, new rum is hardly distinguishable from that of
other localities, and the old is not to be had except by
taking some time and pains to find it. Evaporation
gradually diminishes its quantity, and when it has attained
the ripe age of twenty-four years it has shrunken to
one quarter of its original bulk, has lost all sharp, fiery
taste, and is smooth, oily, and strong.
This morning we are steaming past Porto Rico, and are
just coming in sight of the distant mountains of San
Domingo. The sea is almost unruffled; and, as the
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San Domingo 3^7
steamer ploughs it up, flocks of little white birds seem to
rise from it, scud above it a few hundred yards, and then
plunge into it again. These are flying-fish. They are
graceful little creatures, some of whom we could gladly
welcome on board : but they are proof against the ordinary
seductions of net, hook, or line.
San Domingo, Jan. 14.
Sunday morning finds us at anchor in the roadstead off
the city of San Domingo, the oldest city of the Western
Hemisphere, dating back to the days of Columbus, of
whom it was the creation, the prison, and the tomb.
Seen from the steamer, it looks like an ancient Spanish or
Moorish stronghold. A wall of masonry nms completely
round it, flanked by bastions and a fort which commands
the entrance to the river Ozama, on which it stands.
Even from here it can be seen that many of the buildings
are large and were once imposing, but now dilapidated
and nearly in ruins.
The De Soto rocks and rolls at her anchors a mile and a
half off from shore. There are but ten feet of water on the
bar at the mouth of the river, and she cannot cross it.
Why was this harbour chosen by Columbus for his colony,
when he had already found so many better ones ? Simply
because the Ozama was just the right size for the caravels
of his day, and he did not foresee the great steamers
and dipper-ships of the future. Modem vessels have
grown too large for San Domingo, and so its trade has
fallen off and its buildings gone to decay. Only schooners
and light-draught ships can pass into it.
We sat down to breakfast, and wondered the captain
did not join us. Finally, just at the close of the meal, he
descended the cabin stairs.
"Captain," said Mr. Seward, "you are late this mom-
ing.
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3o8 San Domingo
"Yes, sir," replied the captain, a smile Itirking about
the comers of his mouth. ' ' I was less pleasantly employed.
I was fishing an American Constil out of the Caribbean
Sea."
''Out of the sea! What happened to him?"
*'Why, he came off from town with the lieutenant, and,
as you may notice, there is a pretty high sea running this
morning. The time to step up out of the boat to the side
ladder is (as you are aware, sir) when the wave is lifting
the boat toward it. Unfortimately the Consul hesitated
too long, and stepped out just as the boat was dropping
away from the ladder, and, of course, he stepped into the
sea."
*'But he was rescued?"
*'Yes, one of the crew succeeded in catching his coat
collar with a boat-hook and brought him up. We even
rescued his hat, which had fallen oflE in the mtlee. "
** Where is he? Won't you bring him down into the
cabin, wrap him up in warm blankets, and give him some-
thing restorative ? * '
*'I proposed that, but he declines, with thanks. He
says he is not exactly in fit condition to be presented to the
Secretary of State. He will sit awhile on the quarter-
deck, where this hot sun will dry him quicker than any-
thing else would, and he will then pay you his respects. "
Sure enough, when we went on deck we found the Con-
sul sitting there quite dry, and not looking at all like a man
who. Aphrodite-like, had just emerged from the ocean.
He was an intelligent gentleman, a Southern man, loyal
to the Union; and gave us his observations on the Donmii-
can Republic during the brief time he had resided here.
After a short interview with the Consul and his friends,
we proceed to the shore, having first exchanged the compli-
ment of a salute with the fortress. We row under the
guns of the latter, and find it has been once a work of great
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San Domingo 309
strength; but that the sea dashing against its base, and the
winds and waves of three hundred years beating against its
walls, have shorn it of much of its former grandeur. The
masonry is of a thickness of several feet, which has con-
duced much to its preservation so long. Its general
aspect is rugged and picturesque in the extreme.
A walk up from the wharf through the streets seems like
a visit to another centiuy, so antiquated does everything
appear, so different from anything we have seen elsewhere.
The streets are long, narrow, unpaved for the most part,
though hard and dry. The houses on each side are of
the Spanish style of architecture of three hundred years
ago. On the main street, where most of them are used
for shops, repairs keep them in tolerable condition. In
many other quarters they have become mere ruins,
or are turned into hovels for the poor.
The inhabitants are of all shades of complexion, save
that few are entirely white, and few are entirely black.
They are mulattoes, quadroons, mustees, etc., nearly all
having a Spanish cast of features. Some of the ladies,
going with their children to church, are exceedingly well
dressed in the Spanish fashion, with mantillas or veils, and
would easily pass muster in Madrid. There is some infu-
sion of Indian blood, perhaps, but its characteristics are
not distinctly marked. Their language is, almost without
exception, Spanish, with a peculiar local accent.
We stop a moment at the oflfice of Mr. Cazneau, an
American merchant here, and then go to the National
Palace to visit President Baez.
The palace is well preserved, handsome, and well fxir-
nished. A broad flight of stairs, guarded by coloured sol-
diers in the Dominican uniform, leads to the reception
room; and there we find the President and his Cabinet, all
swarthy, Spanish, and apparently well-bred gentlemen.
President Baez is himself a man of medium size and pre-
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3IO San Domingo
possessing appearance. He seats himself with the Secre-
tary of State of the United States on the sofa at the top
of the room, while the others occupy chairs arranged
in two rows, leading up to it like an aisle.
The interview is an important one for Dominica; for,
though unoflBcial, it involves the question of the recogni-
tion by the United States of her present government.
President Baez, speaking through an interpreter, briefly
recapitulates the revolutionary events that have preceded
his advent to power, and points to his ministers, who
comprise among them General Cabral, General Pimentel,
General Serrano, each the chief of a revolutionary party,
now all united in one administration, to give peace
and permanence to the country. He closes by frankly
admitting that his government still needs one thing
to assxire it; but, with that, will be strong and firm — that
is, a recognition by the Government of the United States.
Mr. Seward's remarks, in reply, briefly recapitulate
the past history of the United States, in regard to questions
of recognition of American republics, and especially that of
republican governments founded by the race represented
here. They refer to the future relations and the unity
of interest existing between the republics of this hemi-
sphere, and especially the relations and the duties of
the United States in regard to them. Finally, they give
what is equivalent to an imoflSdal but reliable assurance
that the recognition of the present gpvemment of the
Dominican Republic by the United States will not be
long deferred.
He adds : '* We have built up in the northern part of the
American continent a republic. We have laid for it a
broad fotmdation. It has grown upon our hands to be an
imposing, possibly a majestic empire. Like every other
structure of large proportions, it requires outward but-
tresses. Those buttresses will arise in the development of
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San Domingo 311
civilization in this hemisphere. They will consist of
republics founded like our own, in adjacent countries
and islands, upon the principles of the equal rights of men.
To us it matters not of what race or lineage these repub-
lics shall be. They are necessary for our security against
external forces, and perhaps for the security of oiu* internal
peace. We desire those buttresses to be multiplied and
strengthened, as fast as it can be done, without the exercise
of fraud or force on our part. You are quick to perceive
the use of the main edifice in protecting the buttress
you have established here; and thus it happens the repub-
lics around us only impart to us the strength which we,
in turn, extend to them. We have therefore no choice
but to recognize the Republic of Dominica as soon as
it shall aflford the necessary guarantee of its own stability.
We have only been waiting at Washington for the report
of our Consul here, giving us satisfactory evidences of this
stability and permanence." So the interview terminates
very satisfactorily.
Thence to the Cathedral — a fine old structure of massive
masonry, and in heavy mediaeval architecture. It is in
good repair, and its altars and shrines are profusely, not to
say gaudily, ornamented.
Numerous pictiu-es, mostly of the Saints, adorn it.
Under a slab in the central pavement was pointed out to us
the place where the remains of Columbus were interred, up
to the time of their removal to Havana during the present
centiuy. In one of the chapels is an interesting histor-
ical reHc, the wooden cross which Columbus planted on his
first landing on the island. Then we went to the ruins of
the Convent of Santa Clara. In its time, it must have been
a magnificent structure. The heavy walls, with arched
cells and cloisters, the deep wells, the flat tiled roofs,
are in some places in tolerable preservation, in others in
decay and ruin. The convent garden is all weeds and
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312 San Domingo
thickets. In various parts of the edifice were families
of poor people, who had evidently been glad of so eligible
an opportunity to find house room, rent free, subject
only to the trifling inconvenience of having the windows
and doors gone, and the roofs and walls considerably
dilapidated. But in this climate perhaps these are not
important considerations.
Difference of climate brings differences of taste. In one
of the shop-windows today we saw a pair of very ordinary
looking American quails, in a handsome cage, for sale at
twenty dollars; while parrots were to be had for a few
shillings. Quails being rare here are kept for household
pets, while parrots, being plenty, sometimes get stewed
for soup.
Looldng down on the harbour just below us, we see a
pelican describing slow and stately circles, ending with a
sudden plunge into the water, out of which the bird emerges
with a fish in his mouth. Then, flapping his wings, he
betakes himself to some more secluded spot to devour
his prey or divide it among his family. Nobody seems to
molest these pelicans while they are making their solemn
gjrrations just above the roofs of the houses and the masts
of the ships.
There is a pictxiresque drive outside the walls of the
city. Two diminutive Spanish horses and an antiquated
looking chaise soon take us there. Passing through an
ancient gate, with walls and guard-house of solid masonry,
arotmd which sentries are pacing and soldiers off guard
are loimging and chatting, we find ourselves on a level and
tolerably good road, evidently once a handsome highway.
It winds, following the course of the coast, though it is
at some distance from the sea. On both sides of it are
plantations and country seats of the hidalgos of olden
time. Their buildings are old, dilapidated, and neglected.
Some are in ruins; some partly repaired and occupied by
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San Domingo 313
the landowners ; others have become mere hovels for labour-
ers. Rich, luxuriant, tropical vegetation has grown up in
tangled thickets, half hiding the houses, overrunning
walls and fences, choking up roads and paths.
We meet no carriages or wagons, but occasionally men,
women, and children, mounted on donkeys, whose loads of
cocoanuts, bananas, and sugar-cane so cover them up
that hardly more than the head and ears of the animal
are visible.
We descend to look at one of the villas, and, passing
over a fallen gate, and through paths overgrown with weeds,
go up to the mansion, once stately, now dilapidated, sur-
roimded by ruined oflSces and outbuildings. Its broken
windows open on a spacious veranda, commanding a
magnificent view of the ocean. Here we rest, while
the driver attempts what seems the impossible feat of
bringing down some cocoanuts from a palm tree in the
grove nearby. Its forty feet of straight, smooth trunk
look inaccessible enough. But, with the skill of an ex-
pert, he takes a long rope, makes a slip-knot in it,
fastens one end to the trunk and contrives to throw the
other over a branch, and, moimting this improvised lad-
der with cat-like agility, presently comes sliding down
with a dozen fresh cocoanuts, full of sweet, watery fluid,
in such state as we never see them in the United States.
The drink is palatable, but warm, and, to our Northern
tastes, seems as if it would be vastly improved by a little
ice.
Returning to the city, Mr. Cazneau, who is engaged
in mining, told us he imported his labourers from New
York. On our expressing surprise, especially as the
streets seem just now to be fuU of unemployed idlers,
he said he found it impossible to rely upon them. They
were unwilling to work for more than a few hours at a time,
and not that unless for some special purpose. He said
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314 San Domingo
that he used to go among them offering two or three or four
dollars per day. Their reply would be, "No, mas'r, don't
want to work."
**But you are in rags. Don't you want to earn some-
thing to buy clothes?"
"No, mas'r, don't want much clothes. Too hot for
clothes. "
"But how can you live, if you are idle? You must
want to earn enough to buy food for yoiu* family?"
"Oh, no, mas'r! Plenty banana — ^plenty banana!"
So he had to give it up in despair.
We visited other ruins and other streets, glancing at
the shops, priced a few articles, including flamingos and
monkeys, and then went down to the wharf. On the
way we passed and visited the ruined palace, built by
Columbus's son Diego, who was at one time governor.
We clambered up its ruined steps and walked through
the dilapidated chambers and terraces, finding the same
architectural features as in the other buildings visited.
The only wonder is, that a town built so long ago, and
devastated by hurricanes and earthquakes, by sieges and
captures, by the British, the Ha3rtians, and the Spanish,
and by the lapse of so much time, should have any walls
left standing.
As we entered the boat, the ruins of the prison where
Columbus was confined were shown us. They stand on
the bluff on the opposite bank of the river.
The Dominican soldiers, not uniformed and not very
well dad or equipped, were to be seen in considerable
numbers at the barracks and on guard duty. A few at
the palace were an exception to this rule, appearing neat
and well armed. They are all coloured men, mostly of the
darker hues.
We took a parting look at the city from the steamer, and
at the adjacent forest of truly tropical luxuriance, the
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Hayti 315
trees of immense size, and the tmderbrush, thick, wild, and
varied.
So we leave this curious antiquated town and the
Spanish part of the island of San Domingo. Next we visit
its western portion, once French, now independent, where
the African race, with less mixture, holds complete sway.
Bay of Gonaives,
Off Port-au-Prince, Jan. 16.
Hayti. This morning, on looking out of the port-
hole, we find the Southern Cross shining brilliantly on
that side of the ship which we have been accustomed to
consider north. The sun, too, rises today over our bow
instead of over the stem. It seems we have changed
otir course during the night, and, instead of westward, are
proceeding almost due east. This is in consequence of
the peculiar configuration of the island.
To reach Port-au-Prince from San Domingo, it is neces-
sary to make a complete circuit around the long strip of land
which lies on the southern side of the Bay of Gonaives.
The day has been spent in steaming up the bay. It is
one himdred and twenty miles long and gradually narrows
as we go up toward the city. High moimtains are visible
on either side. The picturesque island of Gonave, and the
numerous islets and coral reefs, render the general appear-
ance of the landscape not tmlike that of some parts of the
St. Lawrence and the Hudson. Our approach to the
capital brings into view indications of its commerce. We
have passed several brigs and schooners during the day,
and an English steamer is just coming behind us. Nu-
merous little coasters, deeply laden with sacks of coffee
and logwood, are running into the harboxir before the
wind.
The harbour itself offers a fine prospect. Lofty hills
arotmd the farther extremity rise like an amphitheatre,
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3i6 Hayti
and midway in the scene, at their foot, is the dty of Port-
au-Prince, rising from the water on a gentle eminence,
crowned with what seems a commanding f ortijScation. We
come to anchor just after sunset, about a quarter of a
mile from the shore. The wharves seem to be tolerably
filled with shipping, and three ocean steamers are at
anchor near us. Two are Haytian men-of-war, one of
which is the Galatea, lately purchased from our Govern-
ment, and which is manned by a crew of "contrabands"
and coloured men from New York. Discipline seems
to be well preserved, and naval customs all complied
with on her decks, except that there is an imusual amount
of noise, both in the execution of orders and in the singing
with which the sailors relieve the monotony of their
existence.
The United States Commercial Agent, Mr. Conard,
came on board to make us a visit, and was soon followed
by Mr. Peck, the Commissioner and Consul-General. As
it was too late to go ashore tonight, we have sat on deck
together and had a long conversation in regard to the
political, commerical, and social condition of the Haytian
people, and have arranged to start at an early hour
tomorrow morning to see the capital of this peculiar
republic.
Port-au-Prince, Jan. 17.
At sunrise, this morning, the De Soto saluted the Hay-
tian flag, and a few minutes after came an answering
salute from the water battery. We pulled ashore, and
landed at the wharf near the American Consulate.
The first thing that strikes the eye of the visitor is, that
everybody on shore is decidedly African, in complexion
and feature. White men are as few and exceptional here
as black men are in one of our Northern towns, and, at
first glance, it looks oddly enough to find black men
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Hayti 317
not only the labourers, but officers in uniform, well-dressed
gentlemen, men of business, and men of authority. All
are talking French; all are busily employed, with a brisk-
ness and a polite and easy air, that but for the prevailing
sable hue, would lead one to imagine himself on the quays
of a city in France.
Through piles of logwood and heaps of coflfee sacks we
find our way to the Consulate, where we breakfast, and
then sally forth to take a drive about the town.
The streets are bad enough. They have once been
paved, and since neglected, and are now more rough and
uneven than if they had never been paved at all. The
drainage is bad, and the sewerage insuflficient, so that the
streets rival some that are noted for such defidences in
New York and Washington; but, though dirty, they are
dry at present, and hence tolerable.
The style of architecture is peculiar. The best build-
ings, on the principal streets, are of wooden framework
filled in with brick between the timbers. The poorer class
of houses are of wood throughout, and slate roofs are
almost universal. Almost all buildings are of but one or
two stories in height. The earthquakes have determined
the character of the architecture. There are no brick
or stone buildings of several stories, as with us, as the
earthquakes would infallibly shake them down on the
heads of the occupants. The wooden frame may not
only shake, but even rock to and fro considerably, without
serious damage. The safest material for all houses in such
a climate is wood. Residents told me they remembered no
case in which a wooden house was destroyed by earthquake,
even when brick ones were tottering and tumbling into
fragments. But, on the other hand, there is the danger
of fire, which is not less frequent, and is even more destruc-
tive. Hence, the compromise of wooden frame with brick
filling.
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3i8 Hayti
A large part of the dty is just recovering from a calamity
of this sort. An extensive fire, about ten months since,
swept off a considerable portion of the business quarter
of the town — a conflagration similar in extent to that
which occurred about the same time in Richmond. But
it is rapidly being rebuilt. Piles of lumber are strewn
about; workmen are busy; and edifices in all stages of
completion are rapidly progressing.
The sidewalks of Port-au-Prince are private, not public
property. Each house has a paved gallery or veranda
on a level with the street, recessed imder its second story,
and open at front and ends. The owner sits here, ties
his horse here, places his merchandise here, keeps his dogs
and his parrots here, and may, if he chooses, fence it in and
keep it entirely for his family use; and sometimes does so.
But the general custom is to leave it open for the use of the
foot passengers, who thus step from one house to another on
a dry, well paved walk, sheltered from both sun and rain.
Politeness and custom require, however, that one shall
in passing touch his hat to the ladies, if he finds them
on the gallery, when thus encroaching on their rights.
So it is no unusual sight to see a gentleman regularly
touching his hat at every house, as he walks along.
Emerging from the burnt district, we come upon the
market-place. It is a busy scene, filled with country
people surrounded by the heaps of rural productions they
have brought for sale, and the little donkejrs that have
brought them — a less vociferous scene than we have met at
other similar places; the traffic appearing to go on with
less flourish, but more rapidly and effectively. John,
who has been sent ashore to do our marketing, comes back
with astonishing tales of the magnitude of prices and of
transactions. For two pairs of chickens he has paid
$64 — that is, $16 for each fowl! He has expended simi-
larly for vegetables, and the whole cost of our purchases
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Hayti 319
in one day's marketing is |ioo. It is a mitigating circum-
stance, however, that this is in Ha3rtian paper currency,
which is rather depreciated. He exchanged at the Con-
sulate six gold dollars for |ioo of the Haytian paper, and
this is what he has laid out.
The principal conveyance, for business or pleasure, to
be found in Port-au-Prince is the donkey. There are
wagons and carts, and some good carriages and fine horses,
but these are for city use merely. The roads up the hill-
sides into the coimtry are not passable for vehicles, though
we were told that two hours of pleasant riding on horse-
back would bring us to the heights, where we should have
miagnificent prospects, and a temperate instead of a tropi-
cal climate. Up there the pine thrives, and apples,
peaches, and other Northern products are easily raised.
From the market we went to the cathedral, a large
substantial wooden structure, handsomely decorated and
furnished within. The pictures are numerous, and some
of them very fine. They are generally the productions
of French art, some old, but the majority of them of
recent date. A mass for the dead was being celebrated
when we entered. There were not many worshippers —
few besides the priests and relatives of the deceased,
who was probably of some wealthy family. When they
came out, they seemed, in dress, manners, and carriage —
in all respects save in complexion — ^just such persons as
one might expect to meet coming out of a church in Fifth
Avenue.
There is one noticeable peculiarity in the style of dress
seen in the streets of Port-au-Prince. The proverbial
African taste for bright colours and gorgeous flowers and
patterns seenis here to have been entirely laid aside. In-
stead of brilliant coloiu*s, modest, neutral tints and tones
seem to be in vogue. In our drive through the streets we
did not see one man in any exaggerated style of costumQ.
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320 Hayti
though many dressed like quiet, respectable gentlemen. We
did not see even one woman with the bright Madras hand-
kerchief around her head, elsewhere so common. Black,
white, grey, purple, and the intermediate tints in delicate
material, either plain, or in small checks and modest
patterns, were almost imiversal. The same thing was
noticeable in the goods displayed in the shop windows.
Altogether, the taste displayed in these points was in
strong contrast to many things to be seen on Broadway or
Pennsylvania Avenue. Whether it is due to French
example and education, or whether the African puts
aside barbaric tastes on coming from slavery into the
higher condition of civilized, free citizenship, may be a
question.
There is an exception, however. The military and
official uniforms are brilliant in contrasts of colour, and
replete with gold lace and ornaments. Yet, perhaps, even
these are only imitations of the style that prevailed in
Europe and in our own coimtry fifty years ago, now
moderated and toned down.
Around the environs of the city, the hills seemed cov-
ered with rich vegetation to the very summit. My com-
panion deprecatingly remarked that, at this season, the
leaves were much more off the trees than at any other;
and consequently the landscape was less attractive than
usual. I told him there was even now, in midwinter,
foliage more luxuriant than we have in summer. The
hillsides are in forest — on the lower portion the mahogany,
the satinwood, lignum-vitae, and other less valuable trop-
ical trees are found; above are oaks and Northern pines.
While we were at breakfast, two aides-de-camp of
President Geffrard were annoimced. They were hand-
some yoimg men of light complexion, and attired in a
brilliant uniform of sky-blue coat and crimson pantaloons,
with an abundance of gold lace. They were evidently
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Hayti 321
well-bred gentlemen, of French education, though speaking
English fluently. They came to invite us to the Presi-
dent's palace, and to tender his carriage to convey us
there. The carriage was a barouche, attended by ser-
vants in green and gold livery, and followed by a guard of
dragoons.
Arriving at the gate of the President's palace, we foimd
the troops drawn up in line to give the military salute.
There were several regiments, all in gay and brilliant
uniforms, all neat and soldier-like. Some of their costumes
were like those of the French chasseurs and tirailleurs;
others resembled those of our regular troops, though more
elaborate and costly. The military bands struck up airs
of welcome, among them the Star Spangled Banner^ and
we were ushered through a veranda to the drawing-room.
Here was President GeflErard, a fine-looking, erect, very
dark complexioned man, with grey hair, courteous address,
and pleasing expression. He was dressed in a uniform
somewhat resembling that of our Generals, though more
richly ornamented. He received the Secretary of State
with warm and gracefully expressed compliments, and
conversed in French very fully and fluently upon the
condition of affairs in Hayti and in the United States.
The President was attended by several of his Ministers
and Secretaries. Mr. Elie, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, a very intelligent, well-informed gentleman, and
apparently a statesman of enlarged views, had come to call
at the Consulate with General Rotunain, whom we had
known as Charg6 d* Affaires at Washington, and they
accompanied us to the President's. Both were in civilian's
dress, and both were of such light complexion that they
might pass easily for white men. The Ministers of War
and the Navy, on the other hand, were entirely African
in hue, and were both in imiform. In manner and con-
versation they were just such polished, educated, and ex-
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322 Hayti
perienced public men as one would expect to find in like
positions in any European Court.
Madame GeflErard and her two daughters now entered
the room, and received and entertained their guests.
They are ladies of refinement and education, — the mother
is very nearly white, the daughters a shade or two darker.
All were dressed in accordance with the Parisian taste and
fashion, and aU spoke French only.
The drawing-room was quite as richly and tasteftdly
furnished as the Blue Room at Washington, though of less
architectural pretensions. All the decorations of the
house were ridi and costly, but in good taste. Among
the pictures was one of Mr. Lincoln; among the busts one
of Washington and another of John Brown.
After a kind and hospitable reception we took our
departure, receiving the same military honours as on
entering.
On our return, we stopped to look at the two Houses —
that of the Senate and that of the Representatives.
Neither House is at present in session. The rooms are
not large, as the two bodies themselves are not, but
resemble the legislative chambers of one of our States.
Here were portraits of several of the Presidents of Hayti,
one or two historical and allegorical paintings by French
artists, and another likeness of John Brown, and one of
Wilberforce.
They pointed out to us the portraits of Presidents
Boyer, Petion, Riviere, and others.
**But there is one portrait that I do not see which I
should have expected to find most prominent of all!"
"Whose is that?" said our companion.
"Toussaint L'Ouverture. "
"Toussaint L'Ouverture! There is no portrait of him,
here. He was a brave man, but we do not consider him a
Republican. "
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Hayti 323
A fresh illustration that "A prophet is not without
honour, save in his own country"!
When we arrived at the Consulate we found there the
foreign diplomatic and consular representatives at the
Haytian capital, among them the British, French, and
Spanish. Several American merchants and their families
also called.
Our friends accompanied us to the wharf, taking leave
of us with many expressions of kindness, and sending on
board for us various choice specimens of Haytian pro-
ductions. Arrived on board, we found the Galatea just
preparing to fire a salute of fifteen gims, in honour of the
American Secretary.
Ha3rti, so far as we have seen it, is neither the great
success in solving the African problem which philanthro-
pists would willingly believe it, nor on the other hand is it
the failiu-e in that respect which it is so often represented.
Its people do not achieve those agricultural results which
might be expected on a soil of such unsurpassed fertility;
and in manufactures they achieve almost nothing. The
sugar mills erected by the French are fast going to ruin,
and the inhabitants do not seem inclined to erect new
ones, nor to use them. So in many other branches of in-
dustry for which the island seems peculiarly adapted.
On the other hand, it cannot be said that emancipation
and self-government have rendered them idle or degraded.
Everything about Port-au-Prince wears an air of activity.
The people are busy, steady, enterprising. Everybody
appears to have his work, and to be at it. Nobody
appears to be lotmging or lazy. There is nothing of that
noisy talking, laughing, and shouting which characterize
the tmemployed negro in so many other places; but the
soimd of the hammer and the saw, the noise of busy work-
men and businesslike men.
It is true, that the general impression made upon a
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3^4 Hayti
stranger is that of poverty. It is partly so, becatise the
buildings are low and cheap and the streets neglected.
It is partly so, because the idea of black people anywhere
is habitually associated in our nunds with the idea of
poverty. It is partly so — ^principally so — ^because these
people, though free and industrious, lack capital, lack
organized labor or enterprise, lack education and experi-
ence, and lack that confidence in the stability, peace, and
permanence of their own government which is essential
to the prosperity of any coimtry.
But the true test by which to measure the Haytians is
not to compare their present condition with that of their
former white masters, or with that of white nations older
and more advantageously situated — but to compare
their own condition now, with what it was when they were
slaves. There can be no doubt that a vast stride in ad-
vance has been made by them, when viewed in that light.
It is reasonable to suppose that this progress will continue,
especially when aided by the free schools they are now
establishing, and when strengthened by permanent and
tranquil government, instead of revolutionary plots and
outbreaks — if that time shall ever arrive.
There is a natural, perhaps a necessary, dread of a
recurrence of the white domination, which has inflicted
such calamities on their coimtry and their race. But
among its effects are the exclusion of capital, invention,
and skill, which might develop resources now neglected.
Captain Cutts, an American merchant, who has lived
fourteen years in the island, is now endeavouring to make
an experiment in sugar manufacture, which hitherto has
always resulted in failure. White men are not permitted
to own land; and when, heretofore, they have occupied it
by lease or mortgage, and engaged in sugar making, the
neighbours have, by violence, compelled them to desist,
and sometimes destroyed their property.
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Hayti 325
There is a similar, though less bitter, prejudice against
mulattoes, and against the neighbouring Republic of
Dominica, which is supposed to be altogether too near
white not to share in white avarice, cupidity, or ambition.
As our vessel was just getting under way, a coloured
man, in a small boat, rowed by a boy, approached the
stem; and the man climbed up a rope ladder suspended
there. He had a pitiful story to tell. He was formerly
from Auburn, and was induced to emigrate to Hayti, as
the land of promise for his race ; found himself unsuccessful
in his farming enterprise, and unable to employ his abili-
ties with profit in anything else, the inhabitants treating
him as a foreigner, who could not speak their language,
and looking suspiciously upon him as an American. Now,
his family was sick, and his funds exhausted, and he
wanted to go home. Meanwhile the boy who had brought
him, becoming alarmed lest his boat should be drawn
under the paddle-wheels, was lustily pulling away for the
shore, and deaf to all calls to come back. The American
emigrant took this very philosophically, however, per-
haps with a lurking hope of a free passage to the United
States, in consequence of his inability to go ashore. Fortu-
nately, however, another boat from the town was not far
distant, and on being hailed, came alongside to take him
oflf to the land of his adoption, though no longer the land
of his choice.
Bay of Gonaives, Jan. 18.
We have been steaming, with a clear sky and tranquil
sea, down the Bay of Gonaives, again admiring its pic-
turesque mountain scenery, and now we have entered the
Windward Passage, and descry in the distance the dim
outline of the shores of Cuba. We passed Cape Maysi
at four o'clock, and are heading for the channel between
Cuba and the Bahamas.
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326 Hayti
We are leaving behind us an island whose magnifio^it
natural advantages are not surpassed in the world, yet left
to imperfect and neglected cultivation, its fields not half
improved, its cities belonging to the past rather than the
present.
President Geffrard is wisely seeking to encourage immi-
gration. It has been imagined that Hajrti, with its fertile
soil, healthful climate, and cheap lands, so easily accessible,
inhabited and controlled by the African race, would be the
chosen spot for the regeneration of that race, and the
development of its capacity for high civilization and self-
government — that it would be sought by Africans, coming
from all lands where they have been oppressed and
degraded, to the one country where they are entitled to all
rights and privileges, where all the avenues to wealth
and public employment are open to them, and closed
against everyone else.
Yet the fact undeniably is, that the "coming African"
does not come, but prefers to remain with the whites, in
the land of his birth.
The two republics, on the same island, with the same
soil, and similar productions, with similar advantages for
agriculture, mining, manufactures, and trade, are, never-
theless, in strong contrast with each other. The one
speaks French; the other Spanish. The one derives its
fashions and ideas from Paris; the other from Madrid.
The one copies the codes of French republics and empires;
the other models its laws and constitution after those of
the United States. The one will have none but a black
executive; the other prefers a white. The one jealously
excludes white men from office, voting, or ownership of
real estate; the other encourages their immigration and
citizenship. The one adopts our rule that whoever has
any African blood is a black man; the other takes the con-
verse rule that whoever has any European blood is a
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Hayti 3^7
"bianco." In one, you see hundreds who appear of
unmixed African parentage; in the other, you find every
shade except pure black. One has the ambition to main-
tain the right and demonstrate the capability of the African
race to govern themselves, without interference. The
other aims to be a white republic, and is becoming one.
It is not strange, perhaps, that the two should be almost
continually in hostilities, especially as they have an
unsettled boundary line between them, and each has a
sort of traditional claim to ownership of the island.
In this island of San Domingo, with two of the finest
harbours in the world, they use instead two of the inferior
ones. At the Dominican end the principal port is the
mouth of the Ozama, whose bar keeps out all but small
vessels. At the Haytian end^ Port-au-Prince is at the
bottom of a long cul-de-sac, safe enough, but difficult to
fortify; easy to blockade and impossible to escape from.
On the other hand, the Dominicans have, and do not
use, at Samana, a safe and commodious harbour for whole
navies, easy of defence, advantageously situated in the line
of mercantile traffic, commanding the Mona Passage —
a harbour so well situated that the French used it as their
base when they came to reconquer the island in 1802, and
the United States themselves long ago saw in it a valuable
point for naval operations. General McClellan and Ad-
miral Porter have both been sent out to examine it with
a view to its purchase, and at one time treaty negotiations
for it through Mr. Cazneau were nearly accomplished.
Our supposed desire for it was one of the reasons, or pre-
texts, for the recent Spanish seizure and occupation of
San Domingo.
The Haytians, again, have at St. Nicholas Mole a port
hardly inferior, which could be made impregnable, and
which, with Cape Maysi, overlooks another important
line of mercantile transit.
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328 At Havana
What is there that this island will not produce? Its
dense forests furnish mahogany, logwood, fustic, satin-
wood, lignum- vita3, pine, oak, and various other woods
used in the arts. Its fields )rield, with easy cultivation,
com, millet, and every kind of grain, besides the trop-
ical staples of sugar, cotton, indigo, coflfee, cacao, rice,
and tobacco. On its hills you can raise the plums, peaches,
pears, melons, and grapes of the north, while on the lower
levels, fruits and vegetables, enough to feed its entire
population, seem to grow almost spontaneously — oranges,
lemons, limes, pineapples, aguacates, sapodillas, cheri-
moyas, guavas, bananas, plantains, yams, batatas, and
a host of others.
Animal life is abundant. Not only wild game, but
the cattle, hogs, and waterfowl, which we raise with such
cost and care, here increase and multiply and roam
wild, without any care at all. Fish, turtles, lobsters,
crabs, caymans, and alligators aboimd in its waters.
Insects swarm in myriads.
Equally rich in minerals, it has gold, silver, platinum,
quicksilver, copper, iron, tin, manganese, sulphur, anti-
mony, marble, jasper and various precious stones, rock
salt, and mineral springs.
Its wealth has been its curse, for it has attracted
adventurers to devastate and impoverish it; and yet they
have but half succeeded, though it has suffered nearly four
hundred years of war, and hardly had a dozen of peace.
Havana, Jan. 20, 1866.
At Havana. The coast of Cuba this morning is clear
and well defined. As we go on towards Havana, we gradu-
ally draw nearer to the shore, so that we see the palm
trees, the cane fields, the fishing hamlets and boats, and
occasionally, here and there, an inhabitant standing on the
beach and gazing towards our steamer.
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At Havana 329
At noon we are in sight of the harbour of Havana, a
beautiful picture, as it gradually opens before us around
the projecting bluflE on which stands the Morro Castle.
Grey, rough, and picturesque, its stone walls frown down
upon the channel, which runs just below them. Along
the crest of the hill, additional fortifications bristle, giving
the town the look of impregnability, on that side, at least.
We stop a few minutes off the Monro Castle to take a
pilot; and then steam slowly up the harbour to our place
of anchorage.
The harbour is a busy scene — ^ships at the wharves,
ships at anchor under flags of all nations, among them
several fine Spanish men-of-war, with the red and yellow
ensign flying, steamers passing in and out, and ferryboats
crossing to and fro among them — the whole' much re-
sembling Philadelphia, as the entrance to the harbour is
hardly wider than the Delaware. The town itself has a
thoroughly Spanish air, and few of the edifices are new,
yet its general aspect, by contrast with our recent view
of the antique Spanish town of San Domingo, seems fresh,
new, and cheerful. The large open windows and doors, the
verandas and balconies, the light tints of buff, green, blue,
and white, which everywhere prevail, give Havana a far
more attractive look from the sea than any of our north-
em cities have. Near the wharf we see an American
flag welcoming us from the American Consulate.
We come to anchor near the Spanish men-of-war, and
exchange the customary salute with the fort. Presently
the American Consul-General, Mr. Minor, pulls alongside
and comes aboard, bringing with him the acceptable
gift of letters from home, and New York papers of the
13th, a fortnight later than any we had before.
All well at home. So, much relieved in heart, we take
a hasty dinner; and, with the aid of the Consul-General,
plan our disembarkation and sojourn in Havana.
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330 At Havana
Under his advice we are soon ashore, and comfortably
installed in the Hotel de Almy, which is much frequented
by loyal Americans. It is a large, quaint, old-fashioned
building, which was, in its early days, a Spanish govern-
ment palace. It is of heavy masonry, with antique orna-
mentation. Stone balconies project from its windows
and a courtyard occupies the centre, into which the hall
and dining-room open, by arcades, without the interven-
tion of either door or window.
Mrs. Almy, the proprietress, assigns us our rooms; and
we sally out to improve what is left of daylight by a drive
through the town.
Near the tavern is the old church of San Domingo,
blackened and dilapidated by time and war, and now used
as the Custom House. Proceeding up the streets, the first
impression they make upon our imaccustomed eyes is
that they are extremely narrow. The side walks are
only wide enough to accommodate a single foot passenger.
The carriageway is just wide enough for two vehicles
to pass, and nothing more. In consequence, carriages
are allowed to proceed only in one direction. Each
alternate street is set apart, either for going up, or for going
down; and a vehicle desiring to go to a spot only a few
paces distant through the street is frequently obliged
to go around the entire block in order to reach it. To
warn drivers, there is painted on nearly every comer a
black hand pointing in the allowable direction, with the
word subida (up), or bajada (down). Consequently there
is no confusion. The streets are well paved with smooth,
square stones, and are kept tolerably clean. They are
dry, and, from their narrowness, are almost always shady;
so that one can comfortably walk anywhere, without
being restricted to the sidewalk.
Spanish architecture is massive and imposing. The
walls are thick, the ceilings high. The windows of an
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ordinary dwelling are as large as those of one of our
churches; and the doorway is like the massive portal of one
of our public edifices. A single story, or at most two,
is the prevailing custom.
As we go up the town, we pass the Custom House, the
Palace, the Cathedral, and other fine edifices, with two
or three small but neatly kept open plazas, ornamented
with plants and fountains, and sometimes with statuary.
A broad archway like a tunnel leads through the wall which
encircles what was once the city of Havana, but is now a
small portion of it.
Emerging from this, we find ourselves in broader streets
and more open places, among them the Plaza de Armas,
near the Tacon Theatre; and farther on we come to the
'*Paseo," which is the fashionable drive. It is a long,
straight avenue, admirably paved and lighted, broad
and attractive. We drive as far up as the gateway of the
Captain-General's country house.
They are lighting the lamps as we return; and now
Havana is in its glory. Everybody seems to have no
other object than amusement, out doors and in, on this
charming tropical evening. The houses are all lighted;
the parlour windows, wide open, extend down to the
ground, with which the floor is on a level; and the groups
of ladies and gentlemen, children, and servants within,
are fully exposed to view, as if out in the street. Some
are chatting and laughing, rocking to and fro in the com-
fortable American chairs, of which every room has several ;
some are fanning, some smoking, some are pla3ring musi-
cal instnunents, some dancing; nearly all are dressed for
receiving or making visits. An iron grating is interposed
to keep oflf intruders, giving somewhat the aspect of cages
of pretty birds.
Any such one group in New York would attract a crowd
of curious gazers. Here, one sees such groups in every
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332 At Havana
house; and no one seems to care to look. Crowds of
well-dressed people saunter up and down the streets, the
ladies fanning and the gentlemen smoking, and the car-
riageway is full of showy equipages, well-moimted cabal-
leros, and the funny-looking Spanish volantes, in which
the horse and driver seem to be an affair entirely inde-
pendent of the ladies, who are sitting at ease in the distant
two-wheeled open vehicle. One can readily tmderstand,
when witnessing this scene, how it is that Cubans who
visit New York find even Fifth Avenue gloomy and sombre.
The shops, though not large, show to the best advantage
and make more display than is practicable in establish-
ments ten times larger. Ours are deep and narrow, while
these are broad and open, brilliantly illuminated; every-
thing in them is exposed to full view. Over the doorway is
a sign containing the name which is the peculiar desig-
nation of the shop — ^f or each shop here has a name, some-
times appropriate, sometimes fanciful. Thus we find
"La Flora," "La Perla," "La Diana," "La Honrodez,"
"El Telescopio, " etc., which, for the customers, is some-
times more convenient of remembrance than our system
of numbers and names of firms. Numbers are difficult
to recollect, and firms are perpetually changing, but the
names here may endure for a century.
Returning home, we find various visitors. Our house
is an especial American resort. We meet several who are
engaged in business in Havana, and some travellers who
have come by the last steamer.
Havana, Jan. 21st.
This morning, after breakfast, the Captain-General,
with his secretary and aides-de-camp, came to call upon
the Secretary of State, to offer him many kind hospitali-
ties and to proffer a country-seat for his use during
his stay. General Dulce is a small, spare man, with
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At Havana 333
pleasing face and features expressive of energetic char-
acter. He speaks only Spanish, but Havana is polyglot,
and there is no lack of interpreters.
Shopping was the next enterprise, and various curiosi-
ties of tropical production, use or wear, were the pur-
chases.
Oui^ next visit was to the Cathedral, a majestic edi-
fice, singtdarly free from the tawdry ornamentation,
architectural or ceremonial, which so often disfigures
buildings of this character. Its vaulted ceilings are
adorned with frescoes, and its several chapels with fine
paintings. The remains of Columbus are buried here
under the sacristy, and are surmounted by a marble bust
and tablet. The Cathedral will hold several thousand
worshippers.
In the afternoon we took a drive through the suburbs.
The country residences are numerous, and are of the
same genersd style of architecture as the city houses, except
for the addition of broad paved verandas. Well-kept
gardens, luxuriant in tropical plants and flowers, and
ornamented with vases and statuary, are attached to
many of them.
Past the suburbs, we find cultivated fields, in various
stages, for in this favouring climate one sees fields just
planted side by side with others ready for the harvest.
Vegetables and fruits for the city markets occupy many of
them. Farther on we come upon cane and tobacco fields,
with a plentiful sprinkling of palms and cocoanut trees,
giving the landscape much the same general air as that we
had seen at Santa Cruz.
Everybody, at this season, is eating sugar. The
children are sucking bits of the cane. The grown people
are feasting on its various forms at table. The soldiers
are served with rations of sugar-cane, chopped off into
suitable length and served out by the commissary. The
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334 At Havana
donkey rider carries a long cane in his hand and sucks one
end while he whips the donkey with the other. The
cattle and horses fatten on the refuse of the sugar house,
and the dogs lick up the syrup that is trickling plentifully
on the ground. There is one exception to the general
rule, however. The planter's family, who have become
too familiar with the processes of sugar-making, do not
care to eat it until it comes back, next year, white and
refined, from New York.
Here and there, among the labourers in the cane-fields,
we notice the unmistakable faces of Chinese coolies.
Their short, spare, lithe, active figures are usually in
motion; and they seem not to have the fondness for
lounging in the sun which the African has. Some of
the landowners whom we have met say that they prefer
them, as being more industrious and requiring less watch-
ing. They are brought here across the Pacific and the
Isthmus. How far their emigration is volxmtary is, in
most cases, a matter of doubt. The landed proprietor
here makes his bargain with the agent of a company
which undertakes to deliver so many Chinamen to him
as apprentices for a certain ntunber of years (usually
eight). They are to be fed, clothed, and to receive so
many dollars per month; and then to be discharged at the
close of their term of apprenticeship. Usually, they
are willing and docile, though comprehending but little of
the language of their employers.
Some certainly are voluntary emigrants from Canton
who know the nature of the apprenticeship before them.
But it often happens that others, when they have picked
up some knowledge of the language, tell of the knavish
pretences or threats by which they were induced to leave
their homes and go on board a vessel bound they knew not
whither. Sometimes one of the poor creattu'es, in utter
despair, commits suicide. We were told of one planter
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At Havana 335
who, one morning, found seven of his newly indentured
apprentices hanging on the trees of his orchard. There
are provisions of law to prevent and remedy these wrongs,
but it is difficult to enforce them; especially when the
injured party cannot explain his grievance, or when the
employer is a man who, so long as he gets labourers, does
not trouble himself to inquire how fairly or unfairly they
may have been dealt with.
It is said, and there seems no good reason to doubt the
statement, that such cases of cruelty and injustice are
rare in the islands where labour is free; and that they
are most frequent in the slaveholding islands, where
popular sensibilities on the subject of justice to Asiatics
are naturally somewhat blunted by what they see meted
out to Africans.
Here, as elsewhere, the Chinese inmiigrant comes to
make money, in the hope of some day returning to his
own country to spend it. But there are some who, at the
end of their apprenticeship, seem to prefer to remain.
Such a one, who has deliberately taken up his residence
for life, is a changed being. He is Europeanized. He
has dropped his Chinese tunic, wears the dress of Euro-
peans, and has lost his pigtail. He talks Spanish or Eng-
lish. He has been baptized, and is no longer a "heathen
Chinee." His walk, manners, and gestures all seem to
have been ''translated."
An expression of keen astuteness has crept into his face,
instead of the vacuous, childish smile that once reigned
there. His very eyes seem to have lost their almond shape ;
and he smokes, chews, drinks, and swears ''hke a Chris-
tian." But though he may sometimes acquire Christian
vices, he fortunately does not lose his heathen virtues. It
is said there is no case where he becomes idle, improvident,
or a pauper. He is frugal, industrious, thrifty, and if he
keeps his health, and lives long enough, is sure to end by
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336 At Havana
being rich. Some highly respectable and well-to-do
merchants of this dass have been pointed out to us.
Even so near as this to Havana there is some xmculti-
vated land. Cuba, though of unsurpassed fertility, has
never yet fully developed her agricultural resources.
Our ride took us as far as Marinao, a fishing hamlet
on the seashore, about ten miles from the city; and we
returned in time to witness again the gay scene presented
in the Havana streets by gaslight.
After dinner, the American residents at Havana, and
with them many of their Cuban acquaintances, called
to pay their respects to the Secretary of State, with
many gratifying expressions of cordiality and friendship.
Each was introduced and shook hands, leaving his card in
remembrance of his visit.
Havana, Jan. 22d.
Another walk before breakfast this morning, in which
we neither lost our way nor failed to expend our money,
quite encouraged us in the belief that we were becoming
familiar with the localities, the language, and the coins
of Havana.
We are told there is a "norther" blowing outside. It
must be a very mild one; for it seems to us that there is
no more air than is at least desirable on a warm day. Yet
our friends here, as in other West Indian Islands, speak
of the night as chilly, the thermometer having gone down
to seventy-two degrees; and refer to overcoats, blankets,
etc., as if such things were positive discomforts.
On our walk we were twice stopped by men with their
hands full of printed and numbered sheets of paper, which
they proposed to sell to us, as muy bonitos and muy
buenos. These were lottery tickets. Everybody prob-
ably does not buy lottery tickets in Havana, but from
the talk one hears of them, it seems as if everybody did.
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At Havana 337
The lotteries are under the authority of the government,
to which they }rield a handsome revenue. The ntunbers
of the tickets that draw prizes are conspicuously chalked
up on a blackboard at the *'Intendencia, " and the papers
which contain them are always sought for by an eager
crowd. For five dollars you get a very sUm chance of
drawing two hundred thousand dollars, and the hope
that this very slim chance or some smaller one may be
realized induces many to invest in it every five dollars
they can get.
After breakfast we went to see a manufactory of dgar-
ettes-^a marvel of ingenuity and enterprise which would
do credit to Yankee invention. Everything that science
or art has devised appUcable to such a ptirpose seemed
to be foimd in Susini's establishment. He had a machine
to make the paper, a machine to cut it, machines to grind
the tobacco, and to press it, others to make the boxes, to
make the barrels, to print the labels, to engrave the
pictures, and to ntunber the packages; besides many
various modem inventions that incidentally help the work
— ^fire annihilators, electric lights, electrotypes, copying
apparatus, steam elevators, printing-presses, etc. Only
the work of rolling up the cigarettes is done by hand,
and this is done by Chinese coolies, who do it with great
dexterity and rapidity. We were told that they work so
industriously that many of them, after doing their daily
tasks, work in the evening on their own account, and make
twenty, thirty, or even forty dollars a month. The coolies
are fed and lodged by the estabUshment, and they fare in
both respects better than either our soldiers or oxu- sailors.
The superintendent called up a short, swarthy, intelli-
gent-looking Chinaman, to show us an illustration of the
thrifty economy of his race. He has been eight years in
Cuba, on the meagre pittance of eight dollars a month
for working ten hours a day. Yet, by working extra
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338 At Havana
hours, and saving up and judiciously investing his wages,
he has become worth five thousand dollars and is going
back to China next month with that fortune — in that
country an ample one. He appreciated the wealth he had
gained, and shook his head, smiling, when asked if he
would not consent to stay eight years more to get another
five thousand dollars.
Then another Chinaman was called up, equally remark-
able, though in a different way. He had so carefully
combed and nurtured his pigtail that, when uncoiled, it
reached to his feet, and touched the floor as he walked.
He grinned with becoming pride at the compliments
lavished on this personal ornament.
"What will you sell it for, John?" inquired one of the
bystanders. **I will give you five dollars."
John grinned, and shook his head.
' ' Twenty dollars ? A hundred dollars ? "
John still returned a scornful negative.
'*See here, John, you don't think your tail is worth as
much as the fortune this other man has saved up, do you?
Will you take five thousand dollars for it?"
John, gathering up his highly prized ornament into
a knot and carefully readjusting it at the back of his head,
laconically replied, *'Me no takee, " and walked off with it
out of the tempter's reach.
Many ingenious devices in the advertising way are
resorted to to give the cigarettes a reputation. Some are
put up in packages which give the purchaser a handsome
coloured lithographic picture; others in packages of which
one in twenty will have a lottery ticket enclosed; others
are made in imitation of cigars; others put up in mimic
champagne bottles, wheels of fortune, etc. A newspaper
devoted to their description is published monthly.
Next we went to the palace of the Captain-General to
return his visit. The Spanish soldiers on guard at the
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At Havana 339
entrance were neatly dressed in white, appropriately to
the climate. The Captain-General received us hospitably,
proffered us the invariable Havana welcome of a cigar, and
arranged for a dinner and a visit to the theatre with him
in the evening.
Thence to the Hotel de Angleterra, facing on the Plaza.
Here were cigars, a lunch, wines, and "dulces." Here
we found General Andrew Porter, formerly Provost
Marshal-General at Washington, who is spending the
winter with his family in Havana.
Then we went to an extensive cigar manufactory, that
of Partagas & Son, and saw the process of preparing the
tobacco, cutting and rolling it up into cigars. Three
hundred workmen were busily engaged here, turning
out cigars with marvellous rapidity. They sit in long rows
at each end of a long table, each with two piles of tobacco
leaves before him, one for the filling, the other for the
wrappers. One noticeable feature was a man sitting
in an elevated seat at one side, and reading in a loud
voice from a Spanish novel. This is to amuse the work-
men, or, rather, to keep them from talking with each
other and so losing time at their work. Conversation
would distract their attention, but reading, while it di-
verts them, does not interfere with the mechanical labour.
We were taken through vast storerooms, in which bales
of tobacco and boxes of cigars were piled, and cigars in
various packages were very lavishly and hospitably pre-
sented to us on leaving.
In the evening we went to dinner at the Captain-Gen-
eral's Palace. It was a brilliant assemblage of about
fifty guests, many of them officers of the government, the
army, or the navy. The dinner was like other state
dinners, with profuse and elaborate dishes and deco-
rations; and all its details went off like clockwork and
with more rapidity than is common in Washington.
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340 At Havana
A band discoursed music in the anteroom during the
dinner. The Captain-General had the Secretary of
State on his right hand and Mr. Kennedy on his left.
Most of the company were either officers of the Cuban
government, representatives of foreign governments, or
prominent Cubans.
Toward the close of the dinner, the Captain-General
rose to propose the health of the President of the United
States, and that of the Secretary of State and his family,
with appropriate complimentary remarks, which were
responded to by Mr. Seward. The Vice-Admiral then
rose to propose the health of the other American guests,
and of the American navy, which was responded to by
Mr. Kennedy (ex-Secretary of the Navy) and Captain
Walker.
After dinner, coflfee and cigars; and then the Captain-
General took us in his carriage to the Tacon Theatre.
Military guards surrounded the carriage, but were hardly
able to keep back the crowd collected both at the door
of the Palace and that of the theatre, eager to see. In the
theatre, we found the ladies in the Captain-General's box.
The building is a very fine one, of magnificent proportions,
yet very simple in design and in quiet good taste, without
the gaudy decoration that is so common in theatrical
edifices.
The parterre was occupied solely by gentlemen and
fitted up with armchairs; the boxes, of which there were
three tiers, were filled with elegantly dressed people,
occasionally visiting and receiving each other in their
respective palcos. Above, there was the gallery, devoted
to the general public; and above that another for coloured
people. The whole edifice was brilliaiitly lighted. The
Ravels were performing a pantomime.
We returned to the hotel at about eleven, accompanied
by the Captain-General and his staff, who took leave of
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At Havana 341
us, but not before saying that his Artillery Band would give
us a serenade before retiring.
Meanwhile the halls and passages began to fill up
with well-dressed young men. They proved to be the
students of the University, who had come to pay their
respects in a body to the Secretary of State. They
were introduced one by one, each leaving his card. Many
of them expressed some sentiment of warm admiration,
either for him personally or for the principles and policy
of the United States Government — expressions marked
with deep feeling and earnestness. Those who could not
speak English would often write them on their cards.
With the students came also some of the professors
and other residents of the city, American or Spanish.
The Artillery Band, consisting of some sixty performers,
was meanwhile drawn up in a hollow square in front of the
hotel, with their lights and music stands; and we proceeded
to the balconies to hear the serenade. It lasted for an
hour or more, and we then retired for our last night in
Cuba.
Now that the serenade is over, one of our Havana friends
tells us an amusing bit of gossip about its history — which
si nan e vero e ben trovato.
The story goes that the students, being nearly all native
Cubans, are most of them ardent republicans, if not
revolutionists. They thought they saw in Mr. Seward's
visit a long-coveted opportunity for a republican demon-
stration and speeches such as the Spanish government
rigorously and vigilantly represses. They said to one
another: *'The government cannot refuse us permission to
show hospitable courtesy toward Mr. Seward, the Secre-
tary of State of the United States; and having once the
right to open our mouths we can talk of liberty and
republicanism, naturally suggested, as such topics are,
by his whole history. " So they sent a committee to the
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342 At Havana
Captain-General, to ask the needed permission to give
a serenade to Mr. Seward. General Dtdce received and
heard them very courteously, and replied:
"Certainly, gentleman, by all means. You have my
permission, of course. Mr. Seward is worthy of all the
attention we can show him; and I am glad you are dis-
posed to imite in doing honour to the great statesman. "
The committee, delighted with the unexpected success
of their mission, were bowing their thanks and taking
their leave when the Captain-General called them back.
"You should have a good band, gentlemen, for such
an occasion. And now I think of it, there is no band in
Havana that is equal to my Brigade Band. I approve
your project so highly that I will join in it myself. I
will send my band to play for you."
The discomfited committeemen looked at each other,
but of course could not object to this generous offer. The
result was that the Brigade Band, a magnificent one of
sixty or seventy musicians, came, spread itself in a hollow
square all over the street in front of the hotel, and played
away, air after air, without intermission until one
o'clock.
The students, who had gathered on the hotel steps in
hope of an opportunity for their demonstration, found no
place nor time for speaking. They lingered till towards
midnight, and then, dropping off one by one, gave it up
in despair, and left the scene deserted. Mr. Seward, tak-
ing mercy on the tired musicians, sent to the leader, with
his thanks and compliments, a request that they would
not fatigue themselves longer. So ended the meeting
and the serenade.
On the morning of the 23d, the head of the De Soto
was again turned towards the sea, and she was steaming
slowly out past Morro Castle, homeward bound. Flags
were waving from the Consulate and ships, and a crowd
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FREDERICK W. SEWARD
As he looked in 1866, while Assistant Secretary of State
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A Year's Interval 343
of friends, Spanish and American, were gathered on the
wharf, to wave hats and handkerchiefs and shout their
last adieus.
A steamboat chartered by the students pushed oflE and
accompanied the De Soto down the harbour, with farewell
salutations. At the Castle they gave three parting cheers.
The crew of the De Soto responded, as she passed out of
the harbour and was again on the ocean.
The homeward voyage was in pleasant contrast with
our outward one. Sunny weather and quiet seas attended
us all along the Florida coast, and even Hatteras offered no
objection to our passing it. Wind, steam, and current
all helped the De Soto as she made her sixteen knots to the
hour, on even keel.
But after the second day, the air around was no longer
tropical. Overcoats and wraps were in demand on deck,
and fires were started in the cabin stove. The mercury
dropped to forty degrees, and in the distance the coast
looked white. The midsummer poetry of the trip was
gone, and now came stem winter reality. But the De
Soto successfully avoided all gales on the Chesapeake, and
the floating ice in the Potomac.
At noon on the 28th the dome of the Capitol at Wash-
ington was in sight, and before nightfall we were on land
again, and driving back through Pennsylvania Avenue
to our home.
A Year's btervaL A year has passed since the fore-
going journal of our West Indian cruise was written. The
country has entered upon a new phase of its history.
We are now at peace with aU other nations, but at the
beginning of high political strife among ourselves, over
the problem of "reconstruction. "
In that strife, my father takes no part. He is assidu-
ously endeavouring to bmld up the country's safety,
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.344 A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo
commerce, and prosperity, by the establishment of naval
outposts in the Caribbean Sea and elsewhere.
The naval officers who have had experience give him
hearty co-operation. But Congress is absorbed in its
debates and the public is inattentive. Hence, it happens
that I have now to write another chronicle of another
West Indian voyage. • This is devoted to official work.
So it is entitled ''A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo. '*
A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo. The flags that
were floating over the north and south wings of the Capi-
tol at Washington in the winter of i866-'67 might have
been called storm signals, for they indicated a tempest
going on below. Hot debates were raging in the Senate
and the House. There was a Republican majority in
Congress. Its members and President Andrew Johnson
had both been chosen at the same election as represen-
tatives of the same party; but they had drifted widely
apart upon the "reconstruction policy" to be applied
to the Southern States. Encouraged by indications of
popular approval at the polls and in the press, that
majority now found itself strong enough to defy his
power, and pass measures over his veto. A resolution for
his impeachment was passed, and a committee appointed
to take the preparatory steps; but upon their report of
*'no sufficient grounds, " the project remained in abeyance.
Various measures were introduced and passed for the
avowed purpose of limiting his powers. The President,
not at all intimidated by this formidable opposition, was
as tenacious of his opinions as they were of theirs. He
refused to sign bill after bill, returning it with his objec-
tions. His veto, for the most part, was temperately
expressed, but doomed to certain defeat. The Congress
usually disposed of it summarily by a two thirds vote,
without caring to listen to his reasons.
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A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo 345
The Secretary of State had been censured by many
former friends for remaining in "Andy Johnson's Cabi-
net. " But he deemed it wise to stay at his post, and do
what he could toward quelling the storm, and managing
the foreign relations of the country to its best advantage.
As the questions with which he had to deal were diplo-
matic ones, in the interest of the whole cotmtry and not
of any section or party, he was measurably out of the
angry debate. His personal friendships, in both the
Administration and the Opposition, remained unchanged.
One morning there was a buzz of excitement in the
reporters' gallery and on the floor of the House of Repre-
sentatives, occasioned by the sudden appearance of
Secretary Seward, who calmly walked down the main
aisle to the seat of Thaddeus Stevens, greeted him,
and sat down for a chat. As Stevens was the especial
leader of the opponents of the President, the evident
cordiality between him and Seward was an enigma
to both sides of the House. It grew more puzzling
when Stevens went to dine and spend the evening with
Seward. A day or two afterward he rose to propose
an extra appropriation "for special service," to be
expended under the direction of the Secretary of State.
So strong and so implicitly trusted by his followers
was Stevens that he had little difficulty in inducing them
to vote for it, "though much they wondered why."
The only information he vouchsafed to them was tiiat
it was for a secret diplomatic mission, of which they
would be informed as soon as compatible with the public
interests.
Many years before Seward and Stevens had sat together
as delegates in a National Convention. Though they had
rarely met since that time, the whirl of politics had not
estranged them. When Seward over his dinner table
now unfolded his project, Stevens, putting aside all
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34^ A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo
partisan feeling, heartily agreed to co-operate in a meas-
ure ** with no politics in it, " and manifestly for the public
good. The project was to acquire a harbour somewhere
in the West Indies, where we had none. The need of one,
for a naval and coaling station, had been sharply demon-
strated by the events of the Civil War.
Seward had already opened negotiations for the har-
bour and island of St. Thomas. But it was yet uncertain
whether Denmark would be willing to part with that
possession, and whether the Senate would sanction a
treaty for it. Meanwhile intimations had been received
from San Domingo that an equally desirable harbour
might be obtained by leasing or purchasing the bay of
Samana. Cash pajrment would be welcome to the island
republic, but if that was inconvenient, part payment
might be made in arms, ships, and munitions of war,
of which we then had a great surplus, after the dose of
our Civil War, that would otherwise be sold at auction.
The next question was, who to send to make the treaty?
The Dominican Republic had no minister at Washington,
and we had none at San Domingo. Two oflBcials already
in the public service might be sent oflf in a naval vessel
for a winter cruise without exciting as much attention
and curiosity as would inevitably attend the creation of
a new diplomatic post and the appointment of a minister.
Accordingly I, being then Assistant Secretary of State,
was duly conunissioned as a plenipotentiary, to make
a treaty, if one should be found desirable. My colleague
was the very man for such a mission, David D. Porter, who
was experienced in all naval matters, having served in all
'kinds of vessels, sailed in all seas, won fame and promotion
in all wars, and was now Vice-Admiral of the navy. His
keen observation and sound judgment would be invaluable
in deciding upon all points of site, depth of water, facility
of access, and capabilities for defence. The Navy Depart-
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A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo 347
ment had small vessels in plenty. Admiral Porter selected
the Gettysburg, a converted blockade runner, low, sharp,
and swift, and she was duly equipped, manned, and
provisioned for the voyage. Accompanied by Mrs.
Seward and my secretary, I went over to the Annapolis
Naval Academy, where the Admiral had his quarters.
We sent our luggage on board, and on a bright moonlight
evening started on our voyage.
At the very outset ill luck befell us. Through some
variation of the tide, or some carelessness of the pilot,
the Gettysburg ran aground before she was fairly out into
Chesapeake Bay. Worst of all, she was so firmly stuck on
an oyster bed that she could not be gotten off. **She will
float at high tide, " we said. But she did not, and when
we returned to Annapolis, three or four tugs were vainly
puffing arotmd her and trying to move her.
The Admiral telegraphed for another ship. The Navy
Department replied that he might "take the Don. " The
Don was smaller than the Gettysburg, but was believed
to be staimch and seaworthy. She was fitted with twin
screw propellers, and had a great loo-poimd Parrott gun
mounted amidships on her deck. We transferred our
provisions and belongings to the Don, where we were
welcomed by Captain Chandler. Then we set off
again.
All went well down the bay and out through the Capes,
and until a day later. Then a south-east gale caught us
off Cape Hatteras. They called it a gale, but it seemed of
the dimensions of a hurricane. At any rate, it was too
much for the Don. She tried going through it, and
running before it, and "lying to, " and neither suited. At
midnight she was labouring in a heavy sea, with broken
rudder, damaged boats and rigging, and miscellaneous
wreckage on her deck. Finally the thing happened which
Victor Hugo so vividly describes in his Ninety-Three. The
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348 A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo
great gun broke loose, and, rolling about the deck with
every movement of the vessel, seemed disposed to deal
death and destruction to all on board. Sailors jumped
for their lives to get out of the monster's way. It rammed
the masts, smashed the long boat and deckhouse, and fi-
nally stove a hole in the bulwarks and went overboard.
That was a great relief. But more disaster was to come.
As the vessel fell into the trough of the sea, the foremast
snapped short off and fell on the deck. Captain Chandler's
men sprang with axes to clear away the wreckage, but had
difiSculty in keeping their feet. In the cabin, trunks, tables
chairs, stove, crockery, and lamps were thrown from side
to side with appalling rapidity, and the only safety was in
a berth. An officer came down to report to the Admiral
about the useless rudder, the boats swept away, and the
men with broken arms and legs. He added in a lower
tone, *'We only keep her head to the sea by using the twin
engines. The engineer works them * alternately as the
officer on deck calls down to him. If one of them gives
out, she cannot live till morning." "Well," cheerfully
responded the Admiral, "perhaps they won't give out.
Anyhow, we'll do the best we can. "
They did not give out; and toward morning the gale
began to lessen and the sea to subside. The Don was
headed northward toward Hampton Roads. On arriving
there she presented a sorry appearance; dismasted, with-
out boats or gun, with bulwarks knocked to pieces, — ^but
fortunately not leaking. As we sat at our improvised
breakfast on a locker, the Admiral said that during the
night, while lying on the cabin floor with his clothes on,
he heard a knocking and swishing about below, and
thought he felt the floor move. He said to himself,
"Now she has sprung a leak." Then he was relieved
to see a trapdoor cautiously lifted and the heads of the
black cook and another servant peering out. Having
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A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo 349
been asleep in the hold, they had been roused by the
racket and were coming up to see what was the matter.
"What did you think, Mrs. Seward, last night when you
heard the ship was going to be wrecked?"
"I thought perhaps we would get ashore in boats, ** she
answered.
"Ah, " replied he, "the boats were all washed away long
before that. "
"Well, Admiral, " said I, "what did you expect?"
"Oh, I thought I should get ashore somehow, but I was
not at all sure any of you would. Well," he added, "I
don't believe any of us expected to be sitting here and
laughing and chatting over a breakfast this morning. "
Landing at Portress Monroe, the Admiral reported
our experiences to the Navy Department, and asked for
another vessel. He received the laconic reply that we
"seemed to be using up ships pretty fast," but that
we might again take the Gettysburg^ which by this time
had gotten oflf the oyster bed without serious damage.
The next day she arrived at Hampton Roads. We
transferred oiu'selves to her, and were welcomed on board
again by Captain Rowland and his oflBcers. We started
for the third time on our voyage, and this time all went
smoothly. We passed out through the Capes, traversed
the Gulf Stream, found fair weather and favouring winds
between Hatteras and the "still vexed Bermoothes."
A day or two later we entered the tropics, and enjoyed
sea travel in its most comfortable form, with blue skies,
bright sun, gentle and steady trade winds, ship on even
keel, everybody on deck, and everybody donning summer
clothes in place of winter wraps. We read and conversed
and watched the flying-fish skipping from wave to wave.
We found the Admiral the most genial and entertaining of
shipmates, and had occasionally a song from some of the
younger oflBcers, or a "yam" from one of the older ones.
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350 A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo
We scanned the charts to see if we were on the track of
Columbus, but did not discover San Salvador as he did, as
our course was too far east of it. We passed the great bay
and peninsula of Samana, the object of our mission, but
deferred closer examination of them until our business
should be transacted. In the dusk of the evening we were
steaming through the Mona Passage, and early next
morning were entering the Ozama River, to cast anchor
imder the frowning walls of San Domingo. The Ozama
made a harbour large enough for the caravels of Columbus,
and also for the Gettysburg; but the greater vessels of
modem times have to lie outside in the open roadstead.
Standing on a lofty plateau, high above the river, the
old city had a mediaeval aspect. Stone towers and an
encircling wall, with bastions, gave it the air of a fortified
Spanish stronghold, as in old days it was. But the
weather-stained and crumbling walls, and here and there
heaps of ruins, showed the ravages of time. We exchanged
salutes with the fort, received official visits from the health
and customs officers and the American Consul, Mr.
Somers Smith, and then disembarked and climbed the
steep, narrow streets. We took quarters in the hotel, and,
through the Consul, presented our credentials to Senor
Don Jos6 Garcia, the Secretary of State. He was not
unprepared for our visit, and speedily arranged for our
presentation to General CabraJ, the President of the
Dominican Republic.
The President, a tall, swarthy, fine-looking gentleman, m
civilian attire, received us courteously, and introduced
us to the members of his Cabinet and the principal civil
and military officers. Then we opened the subject of our
mission. The Minister of Finance, Don Pablo Pujol,
was appointed to act as plenipotentiary on behalf of San
Domingo in the negotiations with us. They occupied
some days, but it is needless to detail them here. As to
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A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo 351
the bay of Samana itself, we had ah'eady been well informed
by the reports of the United States military and naval
officers.
In the evening we drove out through the streets of the
old town and the adjoining country roads. The Cathedral
and the National Palace were massive and well preserved
edifices. All the bmldings were of the Spanish type of
architecture, but few were new. Those occupied as
residences or shops were in fair condition. Of the others,
some were roofless, and some almost in ruins. But this
did not prevent their being occupied by the poorer class
of tenants. In that genial climate, shelter and clothing
can hardly be considered as necessaries, food is abundant,
labour not urgent, and life is easy, for those who are con-
tent with little.
Out in the country were broad driveways constructed
centuries ago, with stately villas in various stages of
dilapidation, and surrounded by a tangled wilderness of
tropical vegetation. We strolled through some of the
deserted mansions and gardens, and tasted the fruits that
hung abtmdantly on every side, oranges, cocoanuts, ban-
anas, sapodillas, guayavas, and pomegranates, growing
without care or cultivation. Here and there some wealthy
citizen or foreigner had purchased one of these old villas
and fitted it up for residence — its neatly trimmed lawns
and hedges and newly painted buildings contrasting oddly
with the general desolation around. Far in the distance
were the mountain summits and the various plateaus,
where every kind of climate and vegetation may be foimd
— altitude taking the place of latitude — so that one may
pass in a day from the torrid to the temperate and almost
to the frigid zone, without leaving the island.
Nowhere is the memory of Columbus more warmly
cherished than in San Domingo. It was his favourite
island, on which he bestowed the loving appellation of
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352 A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo
'^Hispaniola," or "Little Spain" — ^now fallen into dis-
use. They pointed out to us the ruins of the palace of
his son, Diego Columbus, sunx>unded by deserted grounds.
Fragments of the flag he planted on taking possession of
the island are still preserved. The Cathedral was begun
under his auspices, and the lordly title of "Primate of the
Indies" was conferred upon the archbishop. Across
the Ozama River is shown the overgrown ruin where once
the great discoverer was imprisoned; and in the Cathedral
is the slab that covers the vault where his remains were
interred, until they were taken up and carried to Havana.
One morning at breakfast we were informed that there
were no eggs, no milk, and no fresh fruits. On inquiring
why, we were told that the city gates were closed against
all comers, as it was reported that there was a * * revolution "
going on outside. Never having met a Spanish-American
revolution, we went out to see what it looked like. We
found the gates closed and guarded by squads of soldiers,
sentinels patrolling the walls, all traffic stopped, and
groups of excited citizens talking in every street. Then
we went up on the flat roof of the hotel and looked off
upon the siuroimding coimtry. All appeared peaceful
enough, except that there was a straggling line of men, with
guns and without uniforms, walking briskly up one hill and
down another, away from the city. We counted eighteen,
but there may have been more hidden by the dense
foliage. These, we were told, were the government
forces going out in pursuit of the "revolutionists." No
firing was heard, and nothing further seen. At nightfall
we went out for our evening drive* The streets had re-
sumed their usual aspect, the gates were open and un-
guarded* The army had returned and the revolution
was over. What it was all about we never heard.
Meanwhile our negotiations were proceeding satis-
factorily. The Dominican Government furnished all the
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A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo 353
information in its power, and its terms for letting us have
the use of the Bay of Samana were not unreasonable. But
now an obstacle presented itself, threatening long delay.
On careful examination it had become evident the bay,
which was always considered defensible in the days of short-
range artillery, would now be within range of modem
siege guns, if planted on the neighbouring heights. There-
fore we should need much more than we had come prepared
to ask for. We should need to own and fortify those
heights. But the Dominican Constitution forbade the
alienation of any territory of the Republic, and no amend-
ment or change could be made without the consent of the
Senate. President Cabral invited us to meet with his
Cabinet and confer over this point. The Senate was not
in session, but would be in a few weeks; and they were
confident that its consent could then be obtained to the
cession. Meanwhile they would give us a lease of the
bay and its islands for a stipulated sum. It was clear to
Admiral Porter that we did not want the bay if we cotdd
not have the heights commanding it. It was equally
clear to me that neither the Administration nor Congress
would accept the doubtful tenure of a lease, even tempor-
arily. We must have the "fee simple" or nothing. Nor
could we wait for the convening of the Senate. So we
decided to return to Washington and report progress, the
Dominicans assuring us that Don Pablo would soon follow
us there, with the Senate's consent and full powers to con-
clude the treaty. So we took our leave, with cordial
expressions of regard and friendship on both sides. On
the following morning we went on board the Gettysburg,
weighed anchor, and started for the north.
On our return voyage we touched at Port Royal, Ja-
maica, and were hospitably received by the British naval
and military authorities there. Commodore McClintock,
of Arctic exploration fame, was then in conunand of the
23.
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354 A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo
naval station, and General O'Connor was exercising the
functions of Governor. Then we were off again through
the Windward Passage and the Old Bahama Channel.
As our coal supply was running short, we put into Nassau
to replenish. There was some doubt whether the Gettys-
burg cotdd get over the bar and through the narrow en-
trance to the harbour. Captain Rowland signalled for a
pilot, and a black one came on board. When asked as to
the depth of water, he chuckled and said: "Oh, that's all
right. I know this ship. She's the old Margaret and
Jessie. I've taken her over the bar many a time when she
was a blockade runner. "
A day or two were spent at the Victoria Hotel, where we
met some oflBcers of the United States Army and Navy,
the American Consul, Thomas Kirkpatrick, and many
American invalids who had come to seek health in a
warmer clime. . Then, the Gettysburg having been duly
coaled and provisioned, we started for home. Bright
skies and balmy temperature greeted us as we cruised
through the Bahamas, and along the shores of Florida,
Georgia, and the Carolinas.
It had been remarked by our oflBcers that the Gettys-
burg was not as speedy as a blockade ruimer might have
been expected to be. On our down voyage we had been
burning anthracite coal. At Nassau we of course had
taken in the soft British coal, for which the engines and
furnaces of the Margaret and JessiehaA been constructed.
Feeling the change, like a horse after a fresh * ' feed of oats, "
she started off with an accelerated speed of two or three
more knots to the hour.
"Off yonder," said the Admiral one morning, "lies
Hatteras, " pointing westward over the quiet sea.
I inquired what Cai)e Hatteras looked like when seen
near at hand^ — ^whether it was a bluff, or a sandspit, or
what?
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A Diplomatic Visit to San Domingo 355
The Admiral said that often as he had passed it in his
voyages he cbtdd not recall its appearance. The captain
and other oflBcers proved to be also unacqiiainted with it,
their service having been chiefly in the Pacific,
"Ask the quartermaster there at the wheel. He'll
know."
"Thomson, what does Hattaras look like? Sandy
beach, steep bluff, or how?"
The grizzled and weatherbeaten old sailor raised his
hand to his cap in respectful salute. "Don't know, sir.
Always give it a wide berth. "
Up the Carolina and Virginia coasts, through the Capes
and Chesapeake Bay, and up the Potomac, we finished
our homeward journey.
Arrived at Washington, we were called to President
Johnson's Cabinet coimcil, to report what we had learned
at President Cabral's. We "reported progress."
Some months later, according to promise, Senor Pujol
arrived, with full power to conclude the treaty, and
with the Dominican Senate's consent to the cession.
Within a week or two his negotiations with the Secretary
of State resulted in a treaty, which was duly signed, sealed,
and sent by President Johnson to the United States Senate
for approval.
But the Senate was in no mood to approve measures
submitted to it by President Johnson. Nor was it eager
to extend the national domain southwards. The treaty,
if even read, was not debated nor seriously considered.
It was shelved and disregarded.
When, a year or two later. President Grant came into
office, he became satisfied that the acquisition of a West
Indian harbour would be an advantage to the United
States. He reopened the question, and found the govern-
ment of San Domingo ready not only to cede a harboiu*,
but willing to have thdb: whole island republic annexed to
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356 The Story of Alaska
the United States. But the Senate again would not
consent, and the House and newspaper press rang with
denunciations of what was called ''jobbery," ''oppresaon
of weak republics, " and so forth.
''Nemo omnibus horis sapit,"
saith the Latin sage. Certainly the American Congress
was not at that hour wise enough to accept island and
naval stations as a gift, though in later years it was ready
to risk thousand of lives and expend miUions of doUars
in fighting for them.
More than forty years have dapsed, and we now have
West Indian harbours and naval stations as a fruit of our
war with Spain in behalf of Cuba. It is perhaps useless to
speculate on "what might have been." But it is an
interesting question whether, if we had accepted San
Domingo's offers, we shotdd ever have needed to go to
war with Spain at all. With that island commanding the
whole Antilles, and with naval stations outflanking those
of Cuba, we wotdd have been able to suggest to Spain that
she might gracefully submit to the inevitable and retire
from Cuba, instead of engaging in a hopeless contest to
keep it. As it was, she felt that she was bound in honour
to defend it against an enemy whose naval advantages
were apparently not greater than her own. Our experi-
ences with San Domingo furnish a fresh illustration of the
old historic truth, that nations often solve their problems
in the hardest way, because they have blindly refused to
adopt any ea^er one.
1740 to 1867.
The Story of Alaska. Peter the Great naturally desired
to know the extent of the gigantic empire of which he
found himself the head. On the European side its botmd-
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The Story of Alaska 357
aries were tolerably well defined. But on the Asiatic side,
they were vague and uncertain. Explorations and expe-
ditions had traversed the vast wild regions of Siberia, and
had reached Kamchatka, which seemed to be the end.
The Kamchatkans looked off over a broad sea to their
east. But they had traditions and rumours of "a great
land" beyond that sea, inhabited by people much like
themselves. There, it was said, the shores were greener,
the trees taller, the nuts bigger, the baidarkas larger, and
the fur-bearing animals more plentiful, the mountains
higher, and the climate milder, the islands everywhere,
and the fish inntmierable.
To find this region, if it existed, and to ascertain whether
the continents of Asia and America were joined by land
or separated by water, he ordered two expeditions to be
fitted out. Before they were ready to start, he died.
His widow, the Empress Catherine, and her daughter
Elizabeth took up the work, and carried out his wishes.
Both problems were solved by the expeditions under
command of Captain Vitus Bering. He found that the
shores of Asia and America converged rapidly as they
trended northward, and finally were separated only by
a broad strait. He found that the farther shore was a
land much as the Kamchatkan natives had described it to
be. As no civilised power had yet claimed it, it would
thenceforth be known as "Russian America."
The survivors of the expedition, who brought this intel-
ligence, had also a pitiftd tale to tell of their own dangers,
disasters, and hardships. Shipwreck, disease, and death
had lessened their numbers; and among the victims was
their commander. He had died of exposure and fever, and
was btiried on a desolate island in the sea. Thenceforward
the sea, the strait, and the island wotdd all bear his name.
The returned mariners had also marvellous tales to tell
of the newly discovered coast, of its sables, its martens.
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358 The Story of Alaska
its foxes, and its sea otters. Already Siberia and Kam-
chatka had been ransacked for these costly f tirs, and now
here was a new field, overflowing with opportunities for
wealth.
Traders and trappers from Siberia, merchants and ad-
venturers from Moscow and St. Petersburg hastened there
by hundreds and even thousands. They had to improvise
their own means of conveyance. The first ones hewed
canoes out of trees, built boats of planks lashed together
with strips of rawhide or sealskin.
Later, wealthy merchants built ships and regularly
engaged in the fur trade. One man brought back, the
first summer, five thousand skins, and so achieved a for-
tune. Every such story brought a rush of fresh seekers
for wealth.
It was a wild and lawless region for a time. There was
no governmental authority to check the sway of drunken-
ness and robbery, fraud and force. The white men some-
times killed each other, but the chief sufferers were the
poor natives. However, this came to an end when the im-
perial government slowly extended its long arm of power,
and grappled with its imruly colonists. Military and
naval and civil officers were sent out. Ports were built
and garrisoned. Landing places and trading settlements
were established, and a governor appointed to supervise
the whole.
Of the successive Russian governors some traditions
are still extant, especially of the benevolent Shdikoff, who
built churches and schools, opened courts, heard and
redressed grievances, and sought to sui)ersede savage
customs by the usages of civiUzation. Also, of the rough,
rugged, hospitable Baranoff, who built his castle on the
rock at Sitka, and from there ruled his subjects with a
rod of iron, though in the main with sagacity and rude
justice.
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The Story of Alaska 359
Adventurers and traders from other lands began to find
their way to Russian America, in such numbers as to
threaten the ultimate extermination of the fur-bearing
animals. The Russians wanted to keep the fur trade in
their own hands. They were ready to sell furs to all
comers, but preferred to control the himting and trapping
themselves. The Americans wanted to share in the pro-
fitable traffic. The British wanted to push their Hudson
Bay Company's stations across the continent to the
Pacific.
So arose questions of boundary and of commercial and
national rights. It soon became necessary to make trea-
ties to define them. Negotiations were begun, and lasted
several years, in which participated such eminent diplo-
matists as Nesselrode and Poletica, on the part of Russia;
John Quincy Adams, Richard Rush, and Henry Middleton,
of the United States; and Sir Charles Bagot, Stratford
Canning, and the Duke of Wellington, for Great Britain.
Finally all was duly and peaceably settled. Russia con-
ceded maritime rights and privileges, in accordance with
international law, but held tenaciously to her sovereignty
over the forests and broad plains at the north, and the long
and narrow lisi^re at the south, between the moimtains
and the sea. Thus matters remained for forty years.
It was during this period that my father, then a Senator
of the United States, in a speech at St. Patd, Minnesota,
made his memorable prediction:
"Standing here and looking far off into the Northwest,
I see the Russian, as he busily occupies himself in estab-
lishing seaports and towns and fortifications on the verge
of this continent, as the outposts of St. Petersburg; and
I can say: ' Go on, and build up your outposts all along the
coast, up even to the Arctic Ocean; they will yet become
the outposts of my own coimtry, — ^monuments of the
civilization of the United States in the Northwest.' "
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36o The Treaty of Purchase
1867.
The Story of Alaska— The Treaty of Purchase. Soon
after this came our great Civil War. During its continu-
ance my father, as Secretary of State, had found the
Government labouring under great disadvantages for the
lack of advanced naval outposts in the West Indies and
in the North Pacific. So, at the close of hostilities, he
commenced his endeavoiu-s to obtain such a foothold in
each quarter.
Even as early as during the Oregon Debate in 1846-7,
the suggestion had been made that by insisting on the
boundary line of 54 degrees 40 minutes, and obtaining a
cession from the Emperor Nicholas, the United States
might own the whole Pacific coast up to the Arctic Circle.
But the slave-holding interest, then dominant in the Fed-
eral coimcils, wanted Southern, not Northern extension.
The project was scouted as impracticable, and the Une of
54 degrees 40 minutes was given up.
Renewing the subject now through Mr. Stoeckl, the
Russian Minister, my father foimd the Government of the
Czar not unwilling to discuss it.
Russia wotdd in no case allow her American possessions
to pass into the hands of any European power. But the
United States always had been and probably always would
be a friend. Russian America was a remote province of
the Empire, not easily defensible, and not likely to be soon
developed. Under American control it woiild develop
more rapidly and be more easily defended. To Russia,
instead of a source of danger, it might become a safeguard.
To the United States, it would give a foothold for commerci-
al and naval operations accessible from the Pacific States.
Seward and Gortschakoff were not long in arriving
at an agreement upon a subject which, instead of embar-
rassing with conflicting interests, presented some mutual
advantages.
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The Treaty of Purchase 361
After the graver question of national ownership came
the minpr one of pecuniary cost. The measure of the
value of land to an individual owner is the amoimt of
yearly income it can be made to produce. But national
domain gives prestige, power, and safety to the state, and
so is not easily to be measured by dollars and cents. Mil-
lions cannot purchase these nor compensate for their
lossv
However, it m r^^Ktessary to fix upon a definite sum to
be named in the liw cy, — ^not so small as to belittle the
transaction in the public eye, nor so large as to deprive
it of its real character, as an act of friendship on the part
of Russia toward the United States. Neither side was
especially tenacious about the amoimt. The previous
treaties for the acquisition of territory from France, Spain,
and Mexico seemed to aSord an index for valuation.
The .Russians thought $10,000,000 would be a reasonable
amount. Seward proposed $5,000,000. Dividing the
difference made it $7,500,000. Then, at Seward's sugges-
tion, the half million was thrown off. But the territory
was still subject to some franchises and privileges of the
Russian Fur Company. Seward insisted that these
should be extinguished by the Russian Government before
the transfer, and was willing that $200,000 should be
added, on that account, to the $7,000,000.
At this valuation of $7,200,000, the bargain could be
deemed satisfactory, even from the standpoint of an
individual fishennan, miner, %>t woodcutter, for the timber,
mineSt furs, and fisheries would easily yield the annual
interest on that sum.
On the evening of Friday, March 29th, Seward was play-
ing whist in his parlour with some of his family, when the
Russian Minister was annoimced.
" I have a dispatch, Mr. Seward, from my government,
by cable. The Emperor gives his consent to the cession.
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362 The Treaty of Purchase
Tomorrow, if you like, I will come to the Department,
and we can enter upon the treaty. "
Seward, with a smile of satisfaction, pushed away the
whist-table, saying,
''Why wait till tomorrow, Mr. Stoedd? Let us' make
the treaty tonight!"
" But your Department is closed. You have no clerks,
and my secretaries are scattered about the town. **
"Never mind that," responded-S^rard. "If you can
muster your legation together^ before midnight you will
find me awaiting you at the Department, which will be
open and ready for business. " *
In less than two hours afterward, light was streaming
out of the windows of the Department of State, and ap-
parently business was going on as at mid-day. By four
o'clock on Saturday morning, the treaty was engrossed,
signed, sealed, and ready for transmission by the President
to the Senate. There was need of this haste, in order to
have it acted upon before the end of the session, now near
at hand. •> . . •
I was then the Assistant Secretary of State. To me
had been assigned the duty of finding Mr. Sumner, the
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
to inform him of the negotiations in progress, and to urge
his advocacy of the treaty in the Senate.
Leutze, the artist, subsequently painted an historical
picture, representing the scene at the Department. It
gives, with fiddity, the limited room, the furniture and
appointments. Seward, sitting by his writing table, pen
in hand, is listening to the Russian Minister, whose ex-
tended hand is just over the great globe at the Secretary's
elbow. The gaslight, streartrujg down on the globe, illumi-
nates the outline of the Russian province. The Chief
Qerk, Mr. Chew, is coming in with the engrossed copy
of the treaty for signature. In the backgrotmd stand
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The Treaty of Purchase 363
Mr, Hunter and Mr. Bodisco, comparing the French and
English versions, while Mr. Stamner and I are sitting in
conference.
On the following morning, while the Senate^ was con-
sidering its favourite theme of administrative delinquen-
cies,'the Sergeant at Arms announced, "A message from
the President of the United States." Glances were sig-
nij&cantly exchanged, with the muttered remark, "Another
veto!" Great was the.surprise in the chamber, when the
Secretary read "A Treaty >. for the Cession of Russian
America." Nor was the surprise lessened, when the
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, a leading
opponent of the President, rose to move favourable action.
His remarks showed easy familiarify with the subject,
and that he was prepared to give rea^ns for the speedy
approval of the treaty.
The debate which followed in the Senate was animated
and earnest, but in the end the treaty was confirmed with-
out serious opposition. But the purchase was not con-
summated without a storm of raillery iii conversation and
ridicule in the press. Russian America^as declared to be
"a barren, worthless, God-forsaken re^on," whose only
products were "icebergs and polar bears." It was said
that the ground was "frozen six fefet deep," and *'the
streams were glaciers." "Waltussia," was suggested
as a name for it, if it deserved to l^ave any. Vegetation
was said to be "limited to mosse$-'^^; and "no useftd ani-
mals could live there." Th^re' might be some few
"wretched fish," only fit-fof"" wretched Esquimaux" to
eat. But nothing-tould be raised or dug there. Seven
millions of good money were going to be wasted in buying
it. Many millions more wotdd have to be spent in holding
and defending it, — ^for it was "remote, inhospitable, and
inaccessible. " It was " Seward's Folly. " It was " John-
son's Polar Bear Garden." It was "an egregious
Digiti
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364 The Treaty of Purchase
blunder," "a bad bargain," palmed off on "a silly Ad-
ministration" by the *' shrewd Russians," etc.
Most of these jeers and flings were from those who
disliked the President and blamed Seward for remaining
in his Cabinet. Perhaps imwillingness to admit that
anything wise or right could be done by "Andy Johnson's
Administration" was the real reason for the wrath visited
upon the unoffending territory. The feeling of hostility
to the purchase was so strong that the.H%^ - of .^
sentatives would not take action toward -faccxiJio story
territory or appropriate any xjsamey to pay for it. Ip'-*— .
The Russian Gove or .nt courteously waived any de-
mand for immediate payment and signified readinesb to
make the final transfer whenever the United States might
desire. Accordingly 'commissioners were appointed, who
pi'oceeded to Sitka.
On a bright day in Aujsu'''^''''S67, with brief but impres-
sive ceremonies;v ' the story see from the Russian and
American naval ve§scThe full aii ican flag was raised over
the new territory to be tiwiiCc. '^t^h. known as "Alaska. "
This ceremony jxiight be caller. ;he christening as well as
the transfer, llje territory had previously been known
as "Russian America." During the progress of the
treaty through the S^iate, there werv occasional discus-
sions in the State Department and in the Cabinet as to
the name to be best(>*^ed upon it by the United States>
Several were suggest^ as appropriate, among them
"Sitka," the name of 1t^ capital, "Yukon,;i;i;hat of its
chief river, "Aliaska" or ** Alaska," derived from "'j
name of its great peninstda " Oonalasfca, " and 'j^^y he
derived from its chain of islands. Seward, with wiiW^j ^
final decision rested, preferred "Alaska" as being brief,
euphonious, and suitable. The name was generally
accepted with favour and began to be used before the
transfer was made.
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My Father's Diary — ^and Others 365
It was not until the 27th of July, in the following year,
that the act making appropriation to pay for Alaska was
finally passed arid approved — ^the Chairman of the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the House, General Banks, being its
effective advocate. On the next day the Secretary of
State made his requisition upon the Treasury for $7,200-
000, to be paid to the Rtissian Government.
The United States at first merely garrisoned the forts
f ouxiu in u '^ igass, luid Sitka with small detachments
The Sectrr^s Russian inhabitants generally remained,
uai . jand said: ; e few in nu. ^er. The Indians were peace-
able aa( " I gai^;ndly in the neighbov • i^od of the forts, though
sometimes ^^ ]^ belligerent in the remoter, regions.
' A shre^creti.wd old Indian chief was one day watching the
soIdiere;«nerai -rilling at Sitka, He said t^ the commander,
"What ;niow wL- you work yotir men on land yith guns? Wliy
you no wc^^ P^rk them on Vas^I^ wit^ canoes?" It was a
Suable sugg^tiJ? Mmister made of the fimdr '- ^^d principally on
fish aodtnarine aW ^^Y^^^Y ^V l^™^* ^* ^^^^ ^^ ^^ *^® shores
<i bays, sounds, and'^^^ ^^ ^ tho§jp^ . ' Ai ined ve^els patrolling the
waters could easflv ^^ *^® Alasj/TTf .-ol them, whlje soldiers cooped
up in garrison or ^^chievemjfcruggling through ^^orests would be
useless. When thi ^®^^' ther^ became understood at Washington,
naval vessels and '^^ ma^^venue cutters werfe ordered to Alaskan
waters and rendfir^*"^^^^5'^'^^ good service ^here.
s
My Father's Diary— and Other^^ One day, during his
first week 11^ the Department of ^ate, my father requested
*in to get a blank book-ior him, remarking that as the
B '^"•ild probably be one of historic importance, he
'^'I ^a oegin to keep a diary. A suitable book was ob-
tained and laid upon his table.
On the following morning he came out of his room with
the book in his hand. In giving it back to me, he said:
•'There is the first page of my diary and the last. One
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366 My Father's Diary — ^and Others
day's record satisfies me that if I should every day set
down my hasty impressions, based on half information, I
should do injustice to everybody around me, and to none
more than to my most intimate friends. "
The book still remains with its one written page.
At the time, I thought his decision was a wise one, and
subsequently, perusal of what purport to be extracts from
the diaries of well-known public me^-convince me of the
correctness of that judgment. -- ^^^^^
When, in 1913, I read in Mt. Bigelow's dh^^i^^*.'^ story
of the enormous lobby fees in connection with"^* l?'^"^
bill, the question natiwally occurred to me. W" any de-
my father tell the stpry to Mr. Bigdow insteaJlljl^^ ^^
it to me? I was w>th him, and in his daily co^^ might
knew about the bitf being held up in Congres' c^» ^^^
quite as anxious as he was for its passage. Y^^-
told the story to me at all! - M impres-
Another defect of ^e story see from cue x>aussian and
money come from?- TChe full ai. ican flag was raised over
paid over to the ^ussianlKImist^^ known as ** Alaska."
Treasury show, ai>a as the Treasurj^ christening as well as
There was no o^er fund to take W^^sly been known
annxial appropriatiSn for diplomatic w^ progress of the
secret-service fund, '^"^uld not begin \occasional discus-
payments. To suppose that anyone woofer Cabinet as to
amount in his pocketa; or keep it in his baSfe'dcccJStefl^^
cotirse would be absunl
My own conjecttire is, ifehat he told Mr. Bigdow, who
had recently arrived from PariS5-4iie sort of news that he
might expect to find flying around Washington and iAe
lobbies of the Capitol, and that Mr. Bigdow, not fully
comprehending that these were canards, went home and
set them down in his diary as actual facts.
Certainly there were plenty of such stories at that time.
The air was fuU of them. Various rumours were afloat
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:o^.
My Father's Diary — ^arid Others 367
to the effect that some of the ptirchase money had been
used to corrupt agents of the Russian Government, or to
buy votes in Congress, or to subsidize newspapers, etc.
A committee was directed by the House of Representatives
to investigate the tales, and soon found that most of
them were malicious and all of them abstird. This in-
vestigation is described in my memoirs of my father's life,
on page 392 of the third volume. Its proceedings will be
found in the Congressienal Record of the year 1868.
The Secretary of State appeared before this committee
d^.. and said:
^A ''I S^^6 notice to the Russian. Minister that the requi-
9E^* sition had been made, and that he could call upon the
^' ^ Secretary of the Treasury for the money. I assume, upon
general information, that the money was paid. I do not
>^^^ %^ ^oiow when it was paid out of the Treastiry, nor to whom
^ ^ it was paid. I know nothing whatever of the use the
Russian Minister im4*»^ the fund. I know of no pay-
ment to anybody b^. ^ '\
' ' In regard to al^.^^ ^se allegations, I have no knowledge.
I thought the Ala^a ptirchase a very good, proper, and
national achievement; and out of the funds of the State
Department, therefore, I subscribed for a small number of
the speeches made by Mr. Charles Sumner, to be used for
the information of the pubUc and of Congress. Various
persons, some connected and others not connected with the
government, patriotic gentlemen as I supposed, came to
J give me their cordial support- and co-operation in the
matter; and among the test were Mr. Sumner and Mr.
Robert J. Walker. Whenever I found they were in pos-
session of information or arguments which would be useful,
such as documentary information, I received it and trans-
mitted it to Congress, who had it published. All that I
ever did, or that I ever expended, was in that way, and in
no other, and no engagement was ever made with any-
Digiti
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368 Oriental Indemnity Funds
body for any part of the ptirchase-money, or any other
fund.
"My impression is that the whole expense and cost to
the United States Government for the negotiation, pay-
ment, and everything, did not exceed $500. As to any
other fund to subsidize or propitiate the press, or any
person connected therewith, I have knowledge that no
fund at the State Department went to subsidize any press
anywhere. But when I found thece*was a continued fire
all along the line of the press against the Alaska purchase
and the purchase of St. John's and St. Thomas, and I read
how valueless these possessions were, by reason of per-
petual icebergs in Alaska, and the tmiversal cannonading
of volcanoes and hurricanes down through the West Indies,
I recollected the attacks of the Federal party upon Mr.
Jefferson's Administration for making the purchase of
Louisiana. I was familiar with that literature in my
boyhood, as you all probably were, and I sent a yotmg
man — Mr. Dimon — ^to New York and Albany for the
purpose of collecting from the Federal press (remaining
in public libraries) extracts and articles attacking Mr.
Jefferson in such papers. He collected and sent them to
me.
"These articles were ^published through the press, so
far as they would do it gratuitously, but in no other way.
That is all I know of the influence upon the press. "
He might have added that among the accusations made
against'him at this time was that of being an accomplice
in the attempt at his own assas^natton.
1867.
Oriental Indemnity Funds. When a man pays us more
money than we are entitled to, the simple and honest way
to do, is to h^id the surplus back to him. But when the
transaction is between two great governments, it is not so
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Oriental Indemnity Funds 369
easy. Government financial machinery is intricate and
complex. And there are always political casuists to prove
that the rules of ordinary morality do not apply to the case.
So, when Mr. Baker, the disbursing agent of the State
Department, informed the Secretary of State that a con-
siderable portion of the Japanese indemnity fund was still
remaining in his hands, my father inqtdred, "How does
this happen, Mr. Baker?"
The reply was that the respective claims of the various
claimants had all been audited and paid, and there was
still some money left.
"Why not pay it back to Japan?"
The reply to this was — " Nothing can be paid by govern-
ment oflBcers except under provisions of law, and there is
no law applicable to this case. "
•'How was the money paid to us?"
"In Japanese gold," was the reply.
"Ask Mr. Htmter what precedent there is — how have
other governments treated such matters. "
Mr. Htmter was not aware there had ever been a pre-
cedent. Most governments take all they can get and seem
to be rather proud of doing it.
Evidently the United States had asked and received
more money than they were entitled to. The Secretary of
State stated the facts of the case in Cabinet meeting, and
suggested that the President, in a message to Congress,
should request authority to mate proper restitution oi the
money. This was agreed to, and the President did so.
But when the matter thus came before Congress there
were debates and delays. It was urged that it would be
folly to pay back the money when Japan had not asked
for it. It was argued that to pay it back would be a con-
fession that we had been in the wrong in demanding it,
which would be humiliating to the nation. Then it was
said that to pay it back would be to expose the Japanese
84
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370 Oriental Indemnity Funds
ofiSdals to the censures of thdr people, for having yielded
to an tinjust demand. Then it was proposed to use it for
some public enterprise that would benefit both countries —
a Padfic coast university — a school of diplomacy — Lega-
tion buildings — ships — ^forts — ^telegraphs, etc. Congress
is not only a deliberative body, but a controversial one.
So the session rolled away, and nothing was done.
Finding that there was likely to be delay before a de-
cision could be reached in Congress, the Secretary of State
now directed that the money should be invested in govern-
ment registered bonds, as the best way to keep it safely.
Session after session passed, the President's messages
again and again called attention to it, but still Congress
reached no conclusion.
Meanwhile the credit of the United States appreciated.
The bonds bought at a discount and paid for in gold
rose rapidly in value. Interest accrued on them, was paid
and reinvested "in like manner." So the $606,838
originally received from Japan amounted in 1869 to a
much larger simi.
Here began new perplexities, and fresh debates in Con-
gress. It was argued that even i£ Japan was entitled to
the original amount, she was not entitled to the interest.
At any rate, how cotald she be entitled to the additional
amount which otir thrifty government had earned at com-
pound interest? And if she was paid the original surplus,
dollar for dollar, in gold, what should be done with the
residue?
Another similar indemnity fund had now been received
from China. In this case the balance over and above the
audited claims, by the same careful management, had
much increased.
The two Eastern governments, with becoming sense of
their dignity, looked on placidly, and declined to make
any complaint or demand, saying that they left the whole
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The Japanese Commissioners 371
matter to the wisdom and friendship of the United States
Govertiment, in which they had entire confidence.
My father directed that exact account should be kept,
so that, in due time, the amoimts should be turned over
to his successor, to be held imtil Congress shotald finally
decide.
Ultimately, after a few more years of delay, Congress
found it to be both wise and right to pay the money back
to Japan and China, in such manner as to convince them
that we were actuated solely by desire for fair and honest
dealing. There is no doubt that the action of the United
States in these matters came to the Oriental goverimients
as an agreeable surprise, and led them to the opinion that
there was one government, at least, to which they might
look for friendship and justice.
Forty years have now elapsed, and Japan and China
have repeatedly asked the United States for advice and
coimsel in governmental reforms — ^have employed Ameri-
can advisers in making such reforms, and have sent their
yotmg men to the United States to be educated in modem
methods. How much of the change that has occurred in
those governments is attributable to the moral influence
of these events, it is impossible to estimate.
Certainly it would have seemed, forty years ago, most
unlikely that we should be dealing today with Japan as a
modem parliamentary government, and China as a full-
fledged republic.
1867.
, The Japanese Commissioners. General Van Valken-
btirg, who was now, in 1867, the American Minister to
Japan, wrote that the Japanese, having emerged from their
long seclusion, were desirous of a better tmderstanding
with the other nations.
Commercial facilities were accordingly extended, and
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372 The Japanese Commissioners
diplomatic intercourse was enlarged. They manifested
not only a commendable curiosity in regard to for-
eign ways and customs and inventions, but also a de-
sire to adopt any that might be f oimd better than their
own.
He reported that the Government had carried out their
engagements relative to the opening of ports, *'in so
liberal a manner, as not only to satisfy my colleagues and
myself, but also to inspire me with perfect confidence.'*
Sites for foreign settlements were selected at Hiogo, Osaka,
and YeddOy and arrangements made for the appoint-
ment of consular ofiScers. Persecution of Christians was
abandoned and Christian houses of worship were to be
established.
Two commissioners were to be sent out in accordance
with this new policy. They bore the sonorous names of
Ono Tomogoro and Matsumoto Judayu. They were to
visit navy yards, arsenals, foundries, machine shops, etc.,
and if possible piu*chase one or more ships of war.
^* The commissioners duly arrived by way of San Fran-
cisco, with their secretaries, interpreters, and suite.
Among them were two officers of the modem navy about
to be established by Japan.
They were all installed in lodgings at Wormley's. The
Secretary of State received them at the Department, and
in the evening they called at his house. As several of
them were of such rank as to be "two-sworded men,"
and as it was not in accordance with Japanese etiquette
to wear these ornaments into a parlour, quite a pile of
swords accumulated at the door. Their costumes were
of gay colours, and mostly of silk on this occasion, though
they intimated that they had tried the American costume
at San Francisco, and that some of them had provided
themselves with frock coats and hats, "if it will not be
deemed improper for us to wear them."
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The Japanese Commissioners 373
They regarded with polite curiosity the pictures and
ftmriture which were novel to them, but recognized as a
familiar friend a Japanese chess table which stood in the
room, and seated themselves at it to show that they under-
stood the game.
Tea was served, and when I inquired if it was at all like
what they had at home, they evaded replying. They said
that it was very good and they liked it, and asked of what
plant it was made in this coimtry? A small statuette of
Buddha stood on the mantel. This, one of the Secretaries
observed, and said that at Yeddo there was a statue of that
deity sixty feet high. On my expressing surprise, they
replied through the interpreter that "though he was so
big they did not believe in him. "
They were presented on the following day to the Presi-
dent. A dinner was given to them by the Secretary of
State, and Senator Sumner as chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee, Baron Gerolt as Dean of the Diplo-
matic Corps, and Admiral Porter as head of the navy, were
invited to meet them. After dinner there was an evening
reception, to which many ladies came. Thecommis-
sloners expressed their satisfaction at meeting them, and
r^retted that the customs of their cotmtry had not per-
mitted them to bring their wives.
On the following day an officer of the State Department
was detailed to accompany them in their explorations and
sightseeing. He reported that they inspected all the
chief public buildings with grave demeanour, and made
intelligent inquiries and comments in regard to them.
Then, going down Pennsylvania Avenue, they visited
various shops. Rather to his surprise, the jewdry and
drygoods seemed to interest them but little, but they were
highly pleased with the novelties which they f oimd in the
hardware and tinsmiths' shops. The tinware especially
delighted them, and they made many inquiries as to its
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374 The Japanese Commissioners
manuf acttire — exdaitmng '' it is so beautiful and so cheap.
It should be introduced into Japan. "
It is needless to say that their visits to the Arsenal and
Navy Yard were even more painstaking and fruitful of
restalts. Nothing seemed to escape their observation.
Subsequent events in the wars of Japan have shown that
the information thus gained for their government was
promptly and wisely used.
When my father and I went to make an official call on
them, at Wormleys, we found Ono Tomogoro standing
surrounded by his secretaries and interpreters and arrayed
in his official robes of flowered satin. But his colleague,
Matsumoto Judayu, came forward with evident pride, to
show us that he had adopted the American costtune, which
we cotild not help thinking was not so becoming or dig*
nified as his own. Among the subordinates, also, there
were signs of the adoption of Western habiliments.
When Ono Tomogoro courteously waived us to seats,
and ordered the customary tea to be brought, there was a
hasty colloquy with one of his secretaries. Txaming to us,
he said with a smile: "In Japan we oflfer otir visitors
always tea, but my secretary informs me that the ctistom
in America is champagne." We had some difficulty in
assuring him that champagne was not the national drink
which we offered to all comers.
The Commissioners remained in Washington some
weeks, and were frequent visitors at the Department, as
well as at the house erf the Secretary. They asked the aid
of the government to enable them to purchase arms with
the latest scientific improvements and to build a ship of
war with the latest modem appliances.
One of the chief purposes of their mission was accom-
plished when they purchased the Stonewall. This vessel,
built for the Confederates, now belonged to the United
States. The Secretary of State wrote to General Van
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China's Entry into Field of Diplomacy .375
Valkenburg advising him of the purchase and saying that
the Stonewall was fitting for sea at the Washington Navy-
Yard, and that Captain Brown of the Navy had been
granted leave of absence, to aid in the transfer of the vessel
to Yokohama. Part of the purchase money was paid
down in gold by the Japanese, the rest was to be remitted
from Yeddo. He added in the dispatch, ** It is hoped that
the Commissioners who are now crossing the Pacific on
their way to Japan will carry back with them an impression
of us as agreeable as that made by themselves. '*
China's Entry into the Field of Diplomacy. Prince
Kung, the Regent of China, gave a farewell dinner to
Anson Burlingame, on the occasion of his resignation and
retimi home. It was attended by several of the high
Chinese officials.
Great regret was expressed at his departure, and urgent
requests made that he would, like Sir Frederick Bruce,
state China's difficulties, and inform the treaty powers of
the desire of the Chinese to be friendly and progressive.
China's isolated position among nations had exposed
her to foreign intrigues and designs, and she had no repre-
sentatives of her own to prevent or defend her against
them.
During the conversation at the dinner, Wan Siang, a
leading councillor of the Prince, said to Burlingame, "Why
will you not represent us officially? " At first Burlingame
supposed this was but an exaggerated form of Chinese
politeness, but he soon learned that the proposal was
seriously made. He was requested to delay his departure
a few days until a» formal proposition was made requesting
him to act for China as ambassador to all the treaty
powers. He wrote to my father:
•' I thought anxiously upon the subject, and, after a con-
sultation with my friends, determined in the interest of
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376 China's Entry into Field of Diplomacy
our country and of civilization to accept. My colleagues
approved of the action of the Chinese, and did all they
could to forward thfe interests of the mission. Two Chinese
gentlemen of the highest rank were selected from the
foreign office to conduct the Chinese correspondence, and
as * learners. ' My suite will number about thirty persons.
I shall leave for the United States by the February steamer
for California. "
My father received and answered this letter, with his
hearty approval. He at once made arrangements for the
reception of this novel legation. They arrived in Wash-
ington about the first of June. Their credentials read:
"Anson Burlingame, of the first Chinese rank, Envoy
Extraordinary, and High Minister Plenipotentiary, and
Chih Kang and Sun Chia Ku of the second Chinese rank,
associated High Envoys and Ministers, respectively, to
the United States of America."
Burlingame came to our house in the evening prior to
the delivery of these credentials. He desired to consult
my father as to whether his becoming a Chinese Minister
would interfere with his status as an American citizen.
My father's judgment was, that no such obstacle existed,
as Burlingame had already informed the Chinese Govern-
ment that, while endeavouring to serve them to the best
of his ability, he must adhere to his native allegiance.
''But, Burlingame, how about the personal audience?
You are now the representative of the Celestial Empire,
with which a grave diplomatic question, about 'personal
audience by the Emperor, ' has been pending for years.
If the American Minister is not received by the head of
the Government, at Peking, how can the Chinese Minister
be received by the head of the Government in Washing-
ton ? We must find some way of bridging that difficulty. "
Fortunately it happened that the Emperor of China,
at this juncture, was only a small boy, and this enabled
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China's Entry into Field of Diplomacy 377
the Secretary of State to bridge over the difficulty by this
formal reply.
*' It is well understood that, owing to the minority of the
Emperor of China, the sovereign authority is now exer-
cised by a regency. Reserving therefore and waiving,
though only during the Emperor's minority, the question
concerning the privilege of personal audience by the head
of the Chinese Government, the President will receive their
Excellencies the High Ministers of China, on Friday at
12 o'clock at the Executive Mansion. "
On the appointed day President Johnson cordially re-
ceived the new Chinese envoys. Burlingame began his
address by saying that, if he had not been kindly relieved
from embarrassment by the Secretary of State, his first
duty on this occasion would be to ''explain how it is that
I, who left this capital seven years ago as a Minister of the
United States to China, have now returned here a Minis-
ter from China to the United States."
He announced that the Chinese Government now ac-
cepted the system of International Law in use among
the Western Powers, and was now about to open a reg-
ular diplomatic intercourse not only with the United
States, but with Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Brit-
ain, Holland, Italy, North Germany, Russia, Spain, and
Sweden.
The President's reply welcomed the coming of the
Legation as an evidence of the growth of mutual trust and
confidence, as well as of the sagacity of the Chinese govern-
ment. In conclusion he said he would * 'build upon this
day's transaction an expectation that the great empire,
instead of remaining as heretofore merely passive, will
henceforth be induced to take an active part in the general
progress of civilization."
The Legation was installed at Brown's Hotel, in a
spacious suite of rooms. The great yellow flag, bearing
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378 China's Entry into Field of Diplomacy
the Imperial Dragon, floated in the breeze from the roof of
the hotel during their stay.
Needless to say that many anxious observers were at-
tracted there for a glimpse of their faces, and cues, thdr
caps with insignia of rank, and their gorgeous robes of
flowered satin. Needless also to say that visitors were
welcomed with many affable smiles, and very Uttle English.
Mr. Burlingame kept his American name and costume.
The Chinese associate Envoys were styled "Stm-Tajen,"
and "Chih-Tajen." Their chief was also entitled to be
styled "Burlin-Tajen," the title so appended having a
meaning equivalent to the European prefix of "His
Excellency."
The secretaries and attaches were sdected by the For-
eign Office with reference to their proficiency in the various
languages required. Thus two could speak French, two
German, two Italian, two Russian, and two Dutch.
Now came the work on the treaty. It was elaborate,
because it was hoped that the other powers might take it
as a model for similar ones.
As the period was one of high political excitement over
"reconstruction" and "impeachment," it was thought
best, in order to avoid delay from unfriendly criticism and
partisan wrangling, to admit as few people as possible to
knowledge of its provisions beforehand. So the example
of the Alaska treaty was followed. The ordinary course
of protocols and notes and references was omitted. The
Secretary of State and the three "Tajen" agreed upon the
various points in verbal conference.
The treaty placed Chiua in an entirely new attitude
toward other Powers. Instead of remaining a remote,
secluded empire, yielding reluctant concessions, she now
gave her adhesion to the principles of Western Interna-
tional Law, and to more advanced doctrines in regard to
personal rights than most Western nations had yet been
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China's Entry into Field of Diplomacy 379
able to adopt. The treaty guaranteed liberty of con-
science, and protection from persecution on account of
religious opinions. It recognized the right of man to
change his home and religious belief, and also the mutual
advantage of immigration and emigration, for trade,
travel, or permanent residence. It pledged neutrality in
war, and forbade foreign nations to carry their mutual
quarrels into China. It opened public educational in-
stitutions, and gave the right to establish schools. It
provided for diplomatic and consular intercotirse, for
international improvements and closer relations of inter-
national friendships.
A state dinner was given at the White House to the
Chinese Envoys, and they received many other hospitali-
ties. My father entertained them at Washington, and
subsequently on their northern trip met them on the way,
and, opening his home at Auburn, received them there.
From there they went to Niagara Palls.
Chih-Tajen and Stm-Tajen took part in the verbal con-
ferences, as well as in the drafting of the treaty. They
offered no objections, but on the contrary highly approved
its advanced ideas. They brought with them a bulky
voltune containing a translation into Chinese of Wheaton's
International Law. Its title in Chinese Uterally trans-
lated read, AU Nations* Public Laws.
They were especially solicitous not to offend by any
infraction of the manners and customs of the Western
nations, which they were desirous to learn and adopt.
At the State dinner, Chih-Tajen inquired of me whether
it would be any infraction of the rules of politeness to taste
each one of the several courses presented to him. I told
him that it was exactly what I should do if I went to a
State dinner in China. They declined my invitation to go
to St. John's Church, although anxious to witness the
ceremonies, as they feared they might give offence by not
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38o China's Entry into Field of Diplomacy
knowing when to get up and sit down. I told them it
would not be expected of them to conform to those usages,
and even offered to take a seat at the back where they
would not be noticed. But they thought on the whole it
was best to abstain from going.
Mr. Burlingame frequently adverted to the aid he had
received in China from f otir of the other Ministers at that
Court, Sir Frederick Bruce of England, M. Berthemy the
French Minister, and MM. Balluzek and Vlangally the
Russian Envoys. A familiar phrase at the Court de-
scribed the "four busy B's" as the leaders of advanced
opinion, both in the diplomatic circle and among the
Chinese themselves, in favour of a liberal and progressive
policy between China and the Western powers.
When my father visited China in his journey round the
world in 1870, among his first visitors at Shanghai were
Chih-Tajen and Sim-Tajen. They announced to him the
success of their diplomatic labours in Europe, condoled
with him on the death of Mr. Burlingame, and thanked
him over and over again for the aid they had received from
him in their mission, and dwelt long and gratefully on
the hospitalities which they had enjoyed in the United
States.
At Peking, he had a long and interesting conversation
with Wan Siang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Wan
Siang was the master spirit who led the Chinese Govern-
ment in the enterprise of entering into diplomatic rela-
tions with the Western powers. He had asked, and
obtained from my father, the copy of Wheaton's Law of
Nations^ and had it translated and adopted by the imperial
government. He, more than any other, was the effective
mover in instituting the diplontiatic mission of Mr. Btir-
lingame.
They talked over the various questions in regard to
China's action and found they were qxiite in accord in
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The Portrait Gallery 381
believing that the time had arrived for China to adopt a
more just and liberal policy in her governmental affairs.
He asked my father for suggestions, and, when made, said
they were in harmony with his own sentiments. He
spoke somewhat sadly and regretfully as to the slow pro-
gress he had made in inducing his f eUow-countrjrmen and
governmental associates to share in his ideas of a more
enlightened policy.
He said: "I have attempted to procure the establish-
ment of an Imperial college, in which modem sciences and
languages shall be taught. For a while, I thought I should
succeed. But the effort has failed, and has brought me
under deep reproach and general suspicion."
My father replied: "This ought not to discourage you.
Every wise minister at some time falls under temporary
reproach and unjust suspicion. Public opinion in every
country is a capricious sea. Whoever attempts to navi-
gate it, is liable to be tossed about by storms. "
Wan Siang said: ''It is, as you say, indeed imavoidable.
A statesman stands on a hill. He looks farther, in all
directions, than the people, who are standing at the foot
of the hill, can see. When he points out what cotirse they
ought to take, they are suspicious that he is misdirecting
them. They cry 'Pull him down!' When they have at
last gained the summit from which he points the way, they
then correct their misjudgment. But this, although it
may be sufficient — ^for them — comes too late for the
statesman.
The Portrait Galleiy. Grey, bent, and weary, my father
was standing one evening in the parlour of his Washington
home, looking at the portraits which thickly overspread
its walls.
During eight years, now drawing to a dose, gradual
additions had increased the number imtil they now formed
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382 The Portrait Gallery
"a diplomatic gallery" of the world's sovereigns and
ministers.
He pointed out to his guests those who during that time
had passed from ofiSce or from earth. Leopold of Belgium
had been succeeded by his son; Frederick of Denmark by
Christian IX.; Isabella Segunda of Spain, fat and fair,
had been dethroned and exiled; Pius IX. of Rome, gentle
old man, was shorn of temporal power; Abdul Medjid of
Turkey, slender and dark, had been assassinated and
followed by Abdul Aziz; Hien Fimg of China had yielded
the Celestial Throne to Timg Chi, a baby; the Tycoon of
Japan, with his high headdress, emblematic of supreme
power, had been deposed and banished by the Mikado;
Maximilian of Austria was executed in sight of his army, at
Queretaro ; Carlotta his empress was a wanderer and insane.
Then the array of South American Presidents — ^their
brief teniire ended by an election, or shortened by war and
violence — Mosquera deposed, Cabral overthrown, Prado
assassinated, GeSrard banished, and so on through a long
list.
Premiers and ministers of f ordgn affairs had found their
terms even more brief: Earl Russell, Thouvenel, Drouyn
de THuys, Cavoiir, Rogier, Zuylen D' Avila, Manderstrom,
Calderon, Van Schleinitz, and their contemporaries in
office had all experienced the mutations of politics and
of time. Gortschakoff's placid face beamed from its
frame, as a reminder that he alone of all the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs with whom my father had held intercourse
in 1861 was now remaining in office in 1869. And all this
had happened in the brief period of eight years!
"It is a sermon on the instability of human greatness,"
remarked one of the guests.
"Perhaps so," said my father with a smile; "I can only
hope that they all enjoyed the prospect of getting out of
office as much as I do."
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The ** Great Tyee" in Alaska 383
1869.
The ^* Great T^ee '' in Alaska. Two years after the
cession of Russian America, my f ather, having retired from
office, was travelling in the west*
At San Francisco, his friends made up a party to accom-
pany him, to see the territory he had purchased for the
nation. The steamship Active was placed at their dis-
posal by Ben HolHday.
They cruised along the California and Oregon coasts,
explored Puget Sound, with its great forests, busy mills,
and growing villages, were received with courteous hos-
pitalities at Victoria, and then passed on through the
magnificent scenery of the Inland Passage.
AH there was beautiful, silent, and lonely. Not a vessel
nor a htunan habitation in sight. Only an occasional
canoe of an Indian fisherman. Cautiously proceeding
through waters as yet but imperfectly known, we arrived
at last at Sitka.
The little town had been built by the Russians, of
squared hewn timbers, — ^it being easier, as a townsman
remarked, "to square a log than to get a board. " A high
stockade separated it from the Indian huts and lodges just
outside. A medley of population walked its streets:
Russians in their national dress. United States soldiers
in their blue tmiforms, Indians in blankets and feathers,
traders and travellers in the garb of San Francisco.
Several days were devoted to points of interest, the
historic castle and church, and the embryo modem enter-
prises. Then, a week later, the Active weighed anchor and
proceeded northward with my father and his party, this
time accompanied by General Davis and his staff. Some
of the friendly Sitka Indians acted as pilots, and the
destination was the Chilkat River, the headquarters of
the formidable tribe recently engaged in hostilities with
the troops.
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384 The "Great Tyee'' in Alaska
They had expressed a desire for peace, and this visit of
the Active would give an opportunity to treat with them.
Besides, as the General laughingly told the ex-Secretary,
he looked to him for valuable assistance in the negotiations.
The General, in talking with the Indians, had given them
news that a scientific expedition sent out from Washington
to observe the total eclipse of the sim was coming among
them; and also that the " Great Tyee" (or chief), who had
bought the whole territory, was coming to make it a visit.
It had not occurred to him that the Indian understanding
of the fact would be different from his own. But he soon
found that, to their simple minds, it meant the advent of
the sovereign owner of the soil. They could not under-
stand how a great *'Tyee" could buy Alaska, and then
not own it. They were expecting to welcome him with
great respect, and to receive favours at his hands.
As to the edipse story, they received that with some
incredulity, but thought it had some connection with the
visit of the ''Great Tyee."
After three days spent in traversing the various straits,
channels, and sounds, the steamer anchored at the mouth
of the Chilkat River.
Commtmication was opened with the Indians, and the
next day came messengers from the Coast Survey party,
inviting the *' Great Tyee" and his friends to come up
and visit their camp. This invitation was accompanied
by one from Klakautch, the Chilkat chief, who sent canoes
to aid the ship's boats in bringing the guests.
i They embarked, and, pulling rapidly up the river, soon
lost sight of the steamer, as she came cautiously along
behind them, "feeling her way with the lead" in unknown
waters.
Arrived at their destination, they were welcomed by Mr.
Davidson, the head of the Coast Survey party, and the
Chilkat chief, who had placed one of his great lodges at the
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The "Great Tyee'' in Alaska 385
service of the scientific party, and the other at that of
the "Great Tyee" and General Davis.
Each of these royal residences was a substantial struc-
ture of hewn logs, seventy or eighty feet long. Its en-
trance was guarded by a score of Indian dogs, yelping and
howling in chorus. Within, the house had no partitions,
but formed one vast room, from the earth, which was its
floor, to the roof, with an opening in the centre to let out
the smoke. Hanging blankets or skins shut off one end
for sleeping places, or depositing of valuables.
Here they supped on fresh fish and game, cooked at the
blazing fire in the centre of the lodge, and passed a com-
fortable night with semi-civilized, semi-savage surround-
ings, wrapped in bear skins and army blankets.
The eclipse was to occur on the 7th. When Mr. David-
son commenced posting his assistants at different stand-
points,— one armed with a telescope, another with a
sextant, another with a camera, another with a chrono-
meter, and another with pencil and note book, all
gazing intently at the sun, and pointing their mysteri-
ous instruments towards it, — ^it seemed proof positive to
the imeducated Indian mind that they were a sort of sharp-
shooters, taking aim at that luminary.
When, at the time annoimced, the first faint line of
obscuration began to creep over the disc of the sim, stolid-
ity and incredulity gave way to visible anxiety, and the
Indians gathered more closely roimd the little circle of
observers. When these were shifting the instruments and
noting their observations, and Mr. Davidson was passing
rapidly and quietly from one to another, giving directions
and receiving reports, it certainly looked as if the "Boston
men" were personally conducting the exhibition.
The shadow had crept about half way over the face of
the sun, when the Chilkats began to expostulate. They
said they were convinced of the "Boston men's" skill, but
as
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386 The -* Great Tyee'' in Alaska
they had seen enough now, and they feared bad conse-
quences if the thing went further. But the observers were
too busy to listen or explain.
The black shadow crept steadily on and on, over the sun.
The weird, unusual light, which was neither day nor night,
settled down over river and forest. Birds and insects were
hushed and sombre silence covered the scene. On board
the Active^ when the eclipse became total, the chickens in
the coop went to roost, the cow laid down contentedly
for the night, and some of the Sitka Indians, who had been
taught by the Russians, fell to their knees and fervently
repeated the Lord's Prayer in Greek.
There were unmistakable signs and exclamations of re-
lief when the shadow began to pass away. The Indians
were convinced that the *' Boston men" were taking it oflE
as skilfully and methodically as they had put it on. The
Coast Survey party were highly pleased with the suc-
cessful termination of their enterprise, and general satis-
faction came back with the sunshine.
Soon after, the Chilkat chief invited his guests to come
to his lodge, to meet the principal people of his tribe. The
assemblage niunbered two or three hundred. The chiefs
of greater and less degree, the warriors, the medicine men,
and the women stood in grave, passive rows all round the
sides of the building, — ^the chief Klakautch and his guests
being seated in the middle.
The latter had not quite understood whether this
gathering was for a formal and ceremonious greeting or
for some other purpose. They were not left long in
doubt.
As soon as all had assembled, Klakautch rose and ut-
tered a few emphatic sentences, which the interpreter
proceeded to translate:
''Some time ago, the Ealosh (or Sitka Indians) killed
three of the Chilkats. Now the Great Tyee has come.
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The "Great Tyee^' in Alaska 387
We have gathered to ask him, what he is gomg to do
about it?"
So sudden and direct a demand seemed to require a
categorical answer, and Seward had never even heard of
the case. He asked,
"When did this killing take place?"
Question and answer were translated by the interpreter.
The date was given in Indian fashion, reckoning by "suns "
and "moons. " It appeared that it happened nine or ten
years before.
"Then it happened," Seward said, "when this coimtry
belonged to the Emperor of Russia, long before it became
the property of the United States. He was a great sover-
eign, who listened to the Indians, and treated them with
kindness. This demand should have been made to him. "
Evidently this reply was not at all satisfactory. The
chiefs consulted together, and presently their answer came
back, through the interpreter.
"We did appeal to the Emperor of Russia, but he gave
us no redress. Perhaps he was too poor. We know that
he was poor, because he had to sell his land to the ' Great
Tyee.' But now the ' Great Tyee ' is here in his stead.
And we want to know what he is going to do about it? "
Seward conferred with General Davis, and then asked:
"How many men were murdered?"
"Three," was the response.
"And what sort of redress do you yotirselves desire?"
There was a visible brightening up in the faces of the
Indians at this. They consulted as before, and presently
came their reply:
"A life for a life is the Indian law, and always has been.
But as these three Clulkats were of the chief's family, we
reckon each of their lives to be equal to the lives of three
common Indians. What we want, then, is the Great
Tyee's permission to send otir warriors down to kill nine
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388 The "Great Tyee*' in Alaska
of the Kalosh (Sitkas) in order to avenge the death of the
Chilkats."
To this, Seward replied with promptness, that it was not
to be thought of. No killing would be allowed. He then
asked,
"Is there any other form of reparation that you think
might be made?"
The faces of the Indians beamed with satisfaction, when
this was translated to them. It began to look like
business. They consulted as usual, and answered:
"We know that the 'Boston men' are averse to any kill-
ing except by their own soldiers. So we have sometimes
consented to take pay in blankets. We think the life of
each Indian is worth about four blankets. Nine times f our
blankets, — if the 'Great Tyee' chooses to give them to us,
would be full redress, and make our hearts glad; and we
should then regard the Sitkas as our friends and brothers. "
"Well, General," said Seward, "there you have the
conclusion of the case. I think you can aflEord to give
thirty-six blankets, to make peace between the tribes.
Shall I tell them you will send them up?"
The General was very well pleased, as this would end
the last of the Indian disputes, and establish peace
throughout the territory. He thought it advisable, how-
ever, to give the adjustment greater dignity and eflfect,
by requiring the Chilkats to appoint commissioners to
proceed to Sitka, and there receive the blankets, and at the
same time exchange tokens of amity with the Sitkas.
This arrangement proved highly satisfactory all round.
The Chilkats, who hitherto could not venture into the
region occupied by their enemies, were glad of an oppor-
tunity to visit Sitka, see its wonders, and make friends
with its Indians.
So the meeting broke up with mutual congratulations.
The climax was added to the general rejoicing, when the
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The *' Great Tyee"^in Alaska 389
Chilkat chiefs were invited to row down to the Active^
and dine there with the General and the '* Great Tyee. "
Toward evening they arrived, in their brightly coloured
and gaily decorated canoes.
On board the ship, the stewards and cook had been
busily at work, to meet the responsibilities imposed on
them. Soon a banquet was spread, bewildering in its
variety, considering the limited resources of the ship's
larder, and lavish in its quantity, since all who were to
partake of it were blessed with good appetites.
The cabin was too small to accommodate the whole
company; but it was entirely in accordance with Indian
usage that the six chiefs should sit in state at the cabin
table, while their wives and attendant warriors gathered
on deck roimd the open skylight, through which the viands
were passed out to them, while they had full view of the
proceedings below.
On deck there was merriment with the feasting. In the
cabin all was grave and decorous, with little conversation
until the principal courses had been disposed of. After
the exchange of various information about the territory
and government, Seward inquired if there was anything
further that the chiefs would like to ask?
They consulted according to their wont, and presently
answered through their interpreter, that they would like
to have the *' Great Tyee " tell them about the eclipse.
Seward accordingly proceeded to explain the phe-
nomenon, in the simplest language possible, using as il-
lustrations the cabin lamp to represent the stm, and an
orange and an apple to represent earth and moon. When
he had finished, he inquired if the chiefs had understood
his explanation?
After conference as before, the reply came back :
''The chiefs have understood much though not all the
* Great T yee ' has told them. They imderstand him as
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390 The Guest of a Nation
saying that the eclipse was produced by the Great Spirit
and not by men. Since he says so, they will believe it.
They have noticed, however, that the Great Spirit gener-
ally does whatever the 'Boston men* want him to."
With this shrewd comment on ethics, astronomy, and
human nattire, the feast came to an end.
1869.
The Guest of a Nation. Regarding him as the chief
defender of the Mexicans in their long struggle with the
European Powers, the Mexican Government had cordially
invited my father to visit their country, see the people
whom he had befriended, and accept their hospitalities.
Now that he was free from oflBcial cares and was travelling
so near their frontiers the invitation was renewed.
On the 30th of September, the Golden City was steaming
out through the Golden Gate. My father and his party
were on board. On the voyage down the coast, it was a
daily surprise to find how the usual discomforts of sea
travel are mitigated on the tranquil Pacific. The great
steamer moved on even keel, over waters hardly ruffled,
and through continual simshine. Her spacious cabins
and airy staterooms rose in successive tiers, and were
"steady as a church." Her decks presented an aspect
like that of a summer hotel. Under the broad awnings
were groups of gentlemen smoking, children playing, and
ladies chatting, reading, and embroidering. There was
no noise or hurry. Chinese sailors, with placid faces,
moved quietly about, while the officers pacing the deck
and glancing around the horizon seemed to find nothing to
order, and nothing to alter.
Cruising along the Coast of Lower California for a couple
of days, and approaching the shores of Jalisco, the voyage
was without incident except the meeting and exchange of
news with the steamer Montana. Then, crossing the gulf
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The Guest of a Nation 391
and approaching the shore, they were reminded that they
had passed out of a temperate climate into a tropical one,
and out of a dry season into a wet one. A strong warm
rain was pouring down, and it accompanied them into the
harbour of Manzanillo, where they were to debark and
enter Mexico.
Landing at Manzanillo at sunrise, they were received
and welcomed by Senors Luis Rendon, and Jacinto Ganedo
on behalf of the Mexican Government, and by Governor
Cueva of the State of Colima. Citizens had come down
from Colima to join in the greeting; among them some of
the merchants and Dr. Morrill, the United States Consul.
Two days of driving rain kept them at Manzanillo, but
they were comfortably lodged and hospitably cared for.
Meanwhile a telegraphic dispatch came from President
Juarez and his Cabinet welcoming my father to the country
and wishing him a pleasant journey to the capital.
On the morning of the third day the sky cleared. Under
the direction of the Mexican officers, five large boats carry-
ing the national colours were in readiness to take the party
and their baggage up Lake Cayutlan.
The landscape was picturesque and tropical, the lake
smooth and glassy, the shores covered with dense growths
of trees, among which could be seen the palm, the cypress,
and the guayava. Here and there was an alligator bask-
ing in the sim or a flamingo wading in the marsh, while
flocks of parrots flew screaming overhead.
Midway on the trip a pause was made for breakfast, in
the friendly shade of a thicket.
Arriving at the end of the lake, stages and mules were
found waiting. The afternoon was spent in a ride over
muddy roads and swollen streams through luxuriant
tropical vegetiation. Another pause for dinner with Don
Ignacio Largos, whose house, built of cane, allowed free
circulation of air in every direction. Evening brought
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392 The Guest of a Nation
the party to the great hacienda of Don Juan Pimrin
Huarte.
Through the open doorway came a blaze of light and a
swarm of attendants. Then followed a hearty and hospit-
able welcome from the owner of La Calera, a native of
Old Spain, genial, polished, and enterprising.
Here Sunday was passed. Then the journey was re-
sumed. This time it was to be only from the coimtry to
the city home of Don Juan, but this involved a climb over
moimtains, chasms, and torrents. Rising gradually from
the coast the road wotmd through successive gorges. Just
at nightfall, the travellers looking back had their last
glimpse of the Pacific.
It was after midnight when they reached the silent
deserted streets of the ancient Spanish-looking town of
Colima. The watchman was crying *'Dos horas y todo
bueno" when they knocked at the massive gate and were
ushered into the spacious court of Sefior Huarte's home.
Life in Colima at Senor Huarte's was full of contrast to
the scenes left behind in the United States.
One seemed to have stepped not only into another dime,
but into another century. Within doors, the Moorish
arches, pillars, and frescoes, the glazed tile floors, the grand
salon and stairway decked with masses of bright flowers
and glossy foliage, were suggestive of Seville or Granada.
Looking out from the carved stone balconies, or through
the iron-latticed windows, one saw strongly built houses
in mediaeval style, quaint little shops, ruins of chtirch and
palace, plazas with stone seats and fountains, and passers-
by, peasants, priests, soldiers, and women, in costumes gay
or sombre, such as were worn two hundred years ago. At
every comer a group such as Mtuillo loved to paint. Now
and then a well moimted cavalier, gUttering with arms
and ornaments; or a lady with her duenna, whose black
dress, lace veil, and prayer-book showed her to be on the
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The Guest of a Nation 393
way to mass. Heavy carts and patient little donkeys
plodded along with marketing or merchandise. No rail-
way whistle, no telegraph poles, no gas-lamps, no carriages,
no boy with the morning papers.
Three days were passed in Colima. There were dinners
and festivities at the mansion, and a christening at the
parish church, around whose doorway stood a himdred
children eagerly crying "Padrino, mi medio!" in accord-
ance with the old superstition that a sixpence from the
hand of a new godfather is sure to bring good luck.
But the crowning event at Colima was a ball and ban-
quet at the palace, in honotu* of Senor Seward's visit. Ball-
room, corridor, galleries, and arches were brilliant with
tropical plants and Oriental illuminations. Green, red,
and white, the national colours, were everywhere. The
flags of the United States and Mexico hung side by side.
A portrait of Juarez at one end of the hall, and of Seward
at the other, were wreathed with flags and laurel.
Among the ladies and gentlemen there was every type
of the blended Aztec and Spanish races, the Castilian
predominating. Quadrilles and waltzes were followed
by the favourite national danza^ whose music has a
measured cadence and soft plaintive melody suited to a
tropical dime.
At the banquet, Governor Cueva addressed "the emi-
nent statesman who presented a barrier to the irrup-
tion of those who sought to sow in our soil the obnoxious
seeds of the old continent. " He closed by saying:
*'I salute you in the name of the Mexican people, and
offer you its friendship as sincerely as you have been a
true and sincere friend to the government and people of
this nation who applaud and bless you."
Seward made due acknowledgment. In his reply he
said that one additional principle remained to be adopted
to secure the success of the Republican system : it was that
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"the several American Republics, while abstaining from
intervention with each other, shall become more than ever
heretofore political friends,"
A day or two were spent in viating the cotton mills, and
the gardens filled with palms, bananas, cocoanuts, coffee,
orange, and lemon trees.
On the morning of departure the escort sent down by
the government of the State had arrived, and were drawn
up in line at the gate. They were a fine-looking body of
one hundred cavalrymen, well mounted and armed.
As the journey for the next two days would be through
the barrancas, which are impassable for carriages,
handsome Spanish horses and sure-footed mules were
brought, equipped with the comfortable Mexican saddles,
for the use of each of the party. Tnmks, baggage, bed-
ding, and supplies were strapped on the backs cl eighteen
pack mules, under the guidance of a muleteer. SefLor
Huarte, whose thoughtful care for his guest extended to
every detail, had provided a palanquin for Seward's use,
in case he should prefer it. Several of the gentlemen
from Colima accompanied him through the barrancas to
the cities beyond. Altogether the cavalcade was about
two himdred in number. Nothing could be more pic-
turesque than its winding progress, up and down, through
the passes of the Sierra Madre — the soldiers with gay
tmif onus, streaming pennons, and flashing arms, the cava«
Hers with broad sombreros and bright red sashes, belted,
and armed to the teeth, and mounted on prancing steeds,
the ladies, on easy pacing palfreys, whose trappings were
ornamented with silver, and the long train of laden mules,
climbing the steep acclivities in obedience to the mule-
teer's whistle. Still more like a mediaeval scene it looked
when passers-by from the opposite direction, travellers
similarly mounted, trains of mules with merchandise,
peasants and soldiers, priests and nuns, would greet them
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with courteous salutation or blessing, "Yaya con Dios,
CabaUero/' "Dios guarde usted."
The wild landscape, the ancient-looking roadway, the
grey walls and battlements of the distant haciendas, peer-
ing out through the glossy green foliage, all seemed ap-
propriate accessories. When, at noon or nightfall, the
bugler, at some heavily-barred, stone-turreted gateway,
sounded a parley, and asked leave to enter> it was like a
chapter out of Scott's novels, or a page from the adventure
of Don Qtdxote de la Mancha.
The barrancas are huge valleys or gorges, formed by
the action of motmtain torrents. Some of them are five
hundred feet deep, others one thousand or one thousand
five hundred. Up and down their steep precipitous sides
runs the zigzag mule path, partially paved, but needing
constant repair. A dense growth of trees and vines clings
to the sloi)e, where it can find a foothold. At the bottom
of the valley, a stone bridge spans the Uttle stream, which
in the rainy season becomes a roaring flood, making havoc
and devastation. One of the Califomians in the party
likened them to "minor Yosemites," and found in the
great "Barranca de Beltran" a cotmterpart of Church's
Heart of the Andes.
A very considerable trafiic goes through these motmtain
roads. The travellers met many trains of one or two hun-
dred mules, and estimated that, in a day, they saw two
thousand. They carry up from the tierra caiiente sugar,
rice, and tropical fruits, and bring down from the temper-
ate region above, earthenware, soap, and other manu-
factured articles.
At Tonila, the travellers dined with the venerable
Governor Vega. At night they were to sleep at the great
hacienda of San Marcos, at the foot of the volcano of
Colima, over whose crater hung a sluggish cloud of smoke
by day — sl dull red glow by night. It was after dark when
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they arrived there. The lighted torches borne by the
soldiers, as they came up the mountain defile, were met by
a similar procession from the hacienda, makmg a scene
of wild and weird beauty. It is conamonly supposed that
the Castilian phrase, Esta casa es a la disposicion de
usted, is but a hospitable flourish. But at San Marcos,
and, indeed, everywhere that he went, Seward found it
to be, not a mere compliment, but an actual truth. The
owner of the mansion literally gave his house, with its
servants, furniture, and equipage, to his guests, for them
to live in, and do what they pleased with, so long as they
chose to stay. At every city he visited in Mexico, Seward
found *'his own house" ready and waiting for him.
The last barranca, that of Atenquiqui, was passed on the
afternoon of the 15th. A rest of an hour or two, in a cane
hut by the wayside, was taken, preparatory to entering
the comfortable Concord stage-coach, drawn by six mules,
in which the rest of the jotimey was to be made. In the
evening, as they approached the town of Zapotlan, they
found it brilliantly illuminated from one end to the other,
in honour of the festival of San Jos6. Here was another
hospitable reception; and then a leave-taking of the
friends who had accompanied them from Colima, except
Senor Canedo, who had charge of the party as far as
Guadalajara.
In the morning a stroll through the plaza and streets,
a look at church, market, fountains, and convent ruins,
substantial residences and pretty gardens.
Then on the road again, through a landscape showing
the different altitude and climate now attained — ^the palm
and sugar cane having given place to the maguey, and the
mesquite to corn fields and orchards. Everywhere, lofty
mountain ranges botmded the prospect ; while near at hand
were the cane huts, with cactus hedges, the fields of com
and beans and barley, with here and there the tree-cotton,
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the castor bean, and the coffee tree. Long stretches of
uninhabited, uncultivated plains were covered with tall
grass, or with a profusion of wild flowers — ^among which
the travellers recognized many that, at the North, are
carefully cultivated in garden or greenhouse. Calla lilies
were growing in the ditches at the roadside. Zinneas,
verbenas, and marigolds were weeds in the fields. Tall
pink and spotted lilies, and gay striped convolvtalus
appeared among the grass here, as buttercups and daisies
do at the North.
Only one ominous feature showed itself in the smiling
landscape. Rude black wooden crosses, surrounded by
piles of stones, appeared at frequent intervals; each mark-
ing the spot where some victim had met a bloody death.
The shores of Lake Chapala offered a beautiful view.
It was like Lake George or Seneca, but without the houses
and without the boats. In lieu of other inhabitants, there
were flocks of cranes, plover, ducks, and other water-fowl,
of varied and brilliant plimiage.
Everywhere, the houses of brick and stone and stucco
were clustered together in villages, for mutual protection.
Each village had its church, its plaza and foimtain, its
dwellings of massive masonry, with flat roofs, broad win-
dows, airy balconies, and paved court-yards, as if they
had been transplanted but yesterday from Old Spain.
Three-fourths of all the people seemed of immixed Indian
blood; the rest resembled their Spanish progenitors. But
the word "Indian" in Me3dco is applied to a race widely
different from the savages of the United States. In
Mexico they are civilized and Christian people, neat, in-
telligent, and industrious, kind-hearted and affectionate.
The labourers in town and cotmtry would be met on the
road, contentedly trudging to market, with long wicker
baskets strapped on their backs, containing their scanty
produce. Many, as if to lose no time, were busy knit-
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398 The Guest of a Nation
ting, embroidering, or plaiting straw, as they walked
along.
On each day's journey Seward was greeted with new and
varied forms of hospitality and kindness. At Sayula he
was met by a cavalcade of a hundred gentlemen, accom-
panied by ladies in their carriages. He was escorted into
the town amid the ringing of church bells and the firing of
cannon. There was a banquet with speeches, visits to
schools that would compare favourably with those of
New England, and churches that ecUpse any that the
Pilgrims would tolerate. There was a ball in the evening,
and a serenade with harp, guitar, and violin. At Zacoalco
there was a similar reception and welcome.
At Techaluta, a little village of cane huts, a band of
Indian boys, playing the national anthem, escorted the
carriage through the single street. There was not a flag
in the place; but the poor people had decorated the fronts
of their houses with bright-coloured blankets, shawls, and
scarfs, bits of gay ribbon, and whatever finery they
possessed. Each family stood in their doorway, with un-
covered heads, to say "God bless you," " Vaya con Dios,
Senor," "Dios guarde usted," "Mil gradas, Senor/' —
"Adios."
As the carriage passed the last houses, and the musicians
ceased, a tall, swarthy Indian stepped forward, threw a
roll of paper into the carriage, and, with a profound obeis-
ance, withdrew. Unrolling and reading the scroll, Seward
foimd it was addressed "To the great Statesman of the
great Republic of the North — ^Techaluta is poor, but she
is not ungrateful!"
At Tepetitlan they arrived after dark. But the town
was brilliant with bonfires, torches, and fire balls, while
the air was filled with strains of music from unseen instru-
ments, and the merry peals of chimes from all the churches.
Everywhere there were addresses of welcome, long or short,
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The Guest of a Nation 399
but an marked by good taste and deep feeling. Every-
where, tables were loaded with the fruits and dishes of the
country, of every variety, from the national frijoles and
tortillas, to the most elaborate dukes and pastdes that
skilled ingenuity could contrive.
Cordially as he had been invited and welcomed by the
government of Mexico, Seward was hardly prepared for
the warmth and depth of popular feeling which he every-
where encountered. Mexicans, of whatever ancestry or
party, are intensely patriotic ; and they were determined to
show their appreciation of one who had stood by their
country in its hour of trial.
Passing Santa Afla Acatlan, San Augustin and Sant'
Anita, the drivers unharnessed the six tired little mules
and put before the coach six milk-white horses, with re-
splendent trappings, for the entry into the great city of
Guadalajara, whose white spires and towers were shining
in the distance. Three miles before reaching the city,
there came out a long line of carriages and horsemen, with
the Mimidpal Cotmdl and State officials, to welcome
Seward to the capital of the State of Jalisco. His entry
into the city was an ovation. The streets were lined with
carriages; the sidewalks crowded; windows, doors, and
housetops occupied ; the ladies waving their handkerchiefs ;
the men shouting Viwisl and hurrahs ; and the whole scene
replete with excitement and enthusiasm.
At the door of a stately house, the procession paused.
The keys were presented to Seward; and he was informed
that it was his own. It was thoroughly appointed and
furnished; the table was spread for a banquet; and there
was a corps of trained servants at command. Drawing-
room and dining-room opened upon a marble-paved court-
yard. As the tired travellers sat under its spacious arched
and frescoed corridors, by the mellow light of shaded lamps
listening to the plashing of fountains and the tinkling of
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400 The Guest of a Nation
guitars, they appreciated the satisfaction of Hassan
Bedreddin, when, after a hard day's work, he suddenly
woke up and found himself Caliph.
Seward's first act, when left alone, was to sit down and
write a kindly letter of acknowledgment to the people of
Techaluta, whose welcome touched him deeply.
A week was spent in Gtiadalajara, driving through its
spacious avenues and well-built streets, and on its beauti-
ftd Paseo; looking at its majestic Cathedral with costly
adornments, and its scores of ancient and modem churches ;
strolling through the luxuriant foliage of its Alameda,
and the profusion of fruits and flowers in its markets;
visiting its palaces and public offices; studying its prisons
and benevolent institutions; its great Hospital of San
Miguel de Belan, for the treatment of every form of human
ailment; its Hospicio, where htmdreds of orphans and
foundlings are sheltered and trained to lives of usefulness*
A day spent in visiting the public schools was full of sur-
prises. Some of the buildings were the old convents, and
replete with memories of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries. But the schools themselves exhibited the
highest progress of the nineteenth. Senor Matute, one
of the chief officers of the municipal government, explained
that commissioners had been sent abroad to study the
schools of other cotmtries. So Guadalajara had adopted a
system combining the best features found in Boston, New
York, and Philadelphia, as well as in Paris, Copenhagen,
and Stockholm. Study of books was combined with
training in arts, sciences, and trades. In the recitation-
rooms the children showed as much proficiency as in the
United States. In other rooms were four hundred boys,
learning blacksmithing, carpentering, weaving, and tailor-
ing. In the needle-work rooms the girls were sewing,
knitting, and copying oil-paintings in silk embroidery.
At the boys' High School was a band of one htmdred
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The Guest of a Nation 401
musicians, all schoolboys, who had earned their own
instruments. At the music hall of the girls' High School,
the pupils were giving the opera of Emani. Gymnasi-
tmis, art-galleries, laboratories, and libraries were among
the adjuncts of the schools.
On coming out from their inspection, Seward remarked,
"Why do people talk of a 'Protectorate' for a country
capable of such things as these?"
Citizens, officials, and associations vied in their hospi-
talities to the national guest. Preparations were making
for a ball to be given in his honour at the hall of the State
Congress. The Academy of Sciences presented him with
a certificate of honourary membership, in which he was
styled ''Defender of the Liberty of the Americas." He
was presented also, as a memento of his visit, with the
original royal proclamation of Charles II., of 1676 — ^a
parchment yellow with age, but plainly showing the
signature, in a bold round hand, of Yo el Rey.
One evening was spent at a representation of El Valle
de Andorra. The opera house was a spacious and hand-
some edifice, with massive walls, holding an audience of
four thousand, and having five tiers of boxes, each box
having its own distinct entrance, dressing, and refresh-
ment-room.
"Theatres never bum down in this country?" asked
one of the visitors.
"Never," was the reply of a Mexican gentleman, "how
could they?"
Another gentleman remarked that he was much sur-
prised, on his first visit to the United States, at being told
not to throw a match on the floor, as it might set the house
on fire. "Bum a house with a match!" said he; "I never
heard of such a thing!"
With walls of thick masonry, tiled floors and roofs, with
no lath or plaster, no shingling or planking, houses in
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402 The Guest of a Nation
Mexican cities are practically fire-proof. It was said
that the little old hand-engines were all that was ever
needed; and that there was not an insurance company in
the Republic, till the French invaders introduced the
fashion.
The ball brought together a brilliant and fashionably-
dressed assemblage of all political parties. The fine hall
of the State Congress was used as a ball-room; while the
tables were set in the decorated corridors surroimding the
iUtuninated patio — ^a feature of Spanish architecture
admirably adapted for entertainments. Spanish beauty
and Aztec grace were exemplified in the Senoras and
Seiioritas; and in Mexico, even men dance gracefully.
It was two o'clock in the morning, when Governor
Cuervo, at the supper-table, announced that the hour had
come for the addresses of welcome. Senors Matute and
Jones spoke in terms of enthusiastic greeting.
Seward, in his [speech of acknowledgment, alluded to
his hope for the North American States, and the Spanish
American Republics, in the creation of a policy of mutual
moral alliance, to the end that external aggression may be
prevented, and internal peace, law and order, and progress
be secured throughout the whole continent.
Governor Cuervo responded with hearty assent to that
"Great Continental American policy, " and said that, as a
patriot, he should devote all his efforts to its realization.
One of the subjects under discussion by the mimidpal
authorities, at this period, was the question of abolishing
the bull-fights. The custom was linked with so many
traditions of the nation and the race, and was so intrenched
in popular favour, that it would be diflficult to put a stop
to it. Nevertheless, progressive and public-spirited men
in Guadalajara were urging its abandonment. Of course,
Seward heartily agreed with them. However, it was urged
that he should first attend Sifuncionf see the performance
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The Guest of a Nation 403
and audience, and then give his unbiased judgment for or
against its contintiance. The great amphitheatre, packed
with thousands of the people of Guadalajara, of every age,
rank, and station, was a fine spectacle. Seward had
assigned to him the chair of honour. The gaily dressed
line of matadors, picadors, banderilleros, and chulos^
marched up before him, to make their opening salute, in
accordance with the custom, centuries old, of the gladia-
tors, who, in the Colisetim, used to say : "Te, Caesar, mori-
turi salutamus!"
But bull-fights and their audiences have been so often
described that the scene needs no repetition here. Suffice
it to say, "five valiant bulls were fought, " and four " done
to the death"; and that, while the audience enjoyed it as
they would a circus, the American travellers found it
bloody, cruel, and only less brutal than the prize-fights
in their own land. Their sympathies were less moved
than they expected for either the bull or his assailants,
since both seemed to court the blows they received. But
the poor horses, blindfolded, and forced into a combat in
whidi they had no interest, exposed to all the danger and
having none of the escapes or triumphs, were the real
sufferers. It was a pleasure to leam subsequently that the
progressive party in the City Council carried their humane
purpose into eflEect by a majority vote.
At Guadalajara, Senor Jacinto Cafiedo took his leave.
He had accompanied the party from CoUma, and they
regretted to lose his cheerful companionship and guidance.
He now returned to resume his official duties at Colima.
Don Luis G. Bossero, the commissioner appointed by the
general government, had arrived and took charge of the
travelling arrangements. Formerly in the Diplomatic
Corps at Washington, he spoke English fluently and
perfectly. His tact, courtesy, and knowledge of affairs
were invaluable. Under his care the eastward trip was
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404 The Guest of a Nation
restimed on the morning of Tuesday, the 26th, in a coach
sent down from the city of Mexico, drawn by eight mules
and escorted by a large detachment of cavahy.
The incidents of the following week were like those of the
preceding ones — ^the same warm-hearted hospitality and
enthusiastic greetings in the villages and cities successively
visited, but with an ever-changing panorama of beautiful
scenery, and ever-varying objects of historic and poetic
interest. At the suburb of San Pedro they parted with the
Guadalajara friends who had come out so far to bid them
good-bye. At Zapotlanejo they saw the fine old church,
and the barricades and bvdlet-marks of the recent war.
At El Puente de Calderon they saw the great stone bridge
where Padre Hidalgo, with eighty thousand men, struck
the blow for national independence in 181 1. At Jalos
they found a quaint old city, embowered with trees, with
a magnificent church building. At Venta de Los Pajaros
they spent the night at a hacienda, fortified to resist
bandits or revolutionists, and provided with a military
force of several hundred strong, mustered and organized
by Senor Perez, the owner. At San Juan de los Lagos
they saw the Cathedral — one of the finest in Mexico. The
townspeople were making preparations to celebrate the
centennial anniversary of its consecration. At Lagos, a
city of twelve thousand people, was another great church,
whose specialty was the possession of the remains of a
Saint, brought from Rome eighty years before. The road
in this vicinity passed among the numerous small lakes,
from which the town takes its name. The fidds, fenced
in with the tall " Organo" cactus, had the grains and fruits
of a temperate clime. At each of these towns there was a
deputation of mounted citizens to meet Seward at the gates.
There was the house provided for his reception and use.
There were addresses of welcome, serenades, and banquets.
Like greeting awaited him at Leon. Here was the
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novelty of the festival of Todos Santos (All Saints), the
plaza being illuminated and surrounded with booths for
the sale of fruits, flowers, and the curious bon-bon con-
fections in the form of skulls, angels, devils, birds, and
fishes, which are deemed appropriate for gifts and memen-
toes of the day. In the morning, the city, seen from the
upper windows, seemed like a garden, the flat roofs of the
houses in all directions being covered with a profusion of
flowering plants in full bloom.
At Gtianajuato they found another old and important
city, the capital of a state. Resembling Guadalajara in
architecture, it was widely different in site and surround-
ings. Built in the midst of mountains, with streets
following the ascent of hills or the curve of ravines, some
of its quaint and unexpected turns were suggestive of
Quebec. Massive masonry and heavy embankments
everywhere gave it a solid, substantial look. Its hand-
some residences and terraced gardens added to its beauty
and attested the wealth of its silver mines, which are
among the richest in Mexico.
Seward was met and escorted up to the city through
the cafion of Marfil. Received and cordially welcomed
by Governor Antillon and others in authority, he was
shown to a new and handsome house prepared for his
occupancy, was presented with the keys, and duly in-
stalled therein.
A week was spent in visiting Guanajuato*s ancient
Cathedral and numerous churches, its elaborate and
substantial water-works, its residences and terraces, its
fine theatre and busy mint, its historic castle, which
Hidalgo and his Mexican followers besieged and stormed
in 1810, and which the Spaniards recaptured in 181 1,
hanging the heads of Hidalgo and his three associates on
its four comers. There they remained until the national
independence was achieved in 1823, when they were buried
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with the honoiirs due to martjnrs for patriotism. Now
occupied by court-rooms and prisons, the edifice looked
new enough and strong enough to stand another siege.
Among the friends met here was Mr. Parkman, who
had emigrated in his youth from Cayuga County; and,
after various adventures in the mining region, had come
to Guanajuato, married and settled, and had become a
prosperous mine-owner. One of his daughters accepted
an invitation to go with the party to the United States
for a visit, and subsequently joined them at the dty of
Mexico.
Accompanied by Mr. Parkman and others of the owners
and superintendents of mines, Seward visited the shafts
and tunnels of some of the principal ones, some in
bonanza, and some in borrasca; was shown the various
processes of getting out the ore and of **beneficiating" or
extracting the silver from it. One of these mines, the
Valenciano, discovered by the Spaniards shortly after the
conquest, was said to have yielded $800,000,000, and when
Humboldt visited it, he estimated that it was producing
one fifth of all the silver in the world. A fine sight was that
at '*La Serena," where the party, standing in a tunnel
four hundred feet below the surface, looked down six
hundred feet farther, to the bottom of the shaft, which
was illuminated by blazing fire balls thrown in at the top
and rushing down like fiery comets.
The day before departure there was a distribution of
premiums at the College, followed by a soir6e and ball-
Leaving Guanajuato, the travellers proceeded along
the mountain road; pausing at midday at Salamanca, and
spending the night at Celaya, where, for the first time in
Mexico, they heard the sound of the steam whistle. It
came from a woollen factory established there. Another
of the modem enterprises there was an artesian well four
htmdred feet deep, supplying the city with pure water
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The Guest of a Nation 407
thrown out in great jets, and having a temperature of
100 degrees.
On Wednesday they arrived at Queretaro, and were
received at the city gate by a deputation of state and city
officials and citizens. Addresses of welcome, letters, and
visits were followed by a drive out to the great Rubio
cotton factories standing in the suburbs, and named the
"Hercules" and **La Purissima." They were encircled
by a high wall, and guarded by a uniformed military force
maintained by the proprietors.
The next day was a deeply interesting one. It was
spent in visiting the historic spots connected with the
final defeat and fall of Maximilian, and listening to the
descriptions of those eventful scenes by their eye-witnesses.
They pointed out the lines of fortification and siege, the
field of battle, the stronghold of the old convent and
church of La Cruz, where the imperial forces made their
last desperate stand; the streets where the republicans
under Escobedo made successful entrance, the spot where
Maximilian was captured by Corona, the old monastery
of Los Capuchinos where he was confined with Miramon
and Mejia, the theatre where the court-martial sat, by
which they were tried and condemned to death, and finally
the "Cerro de las Campanas, " where they were executed.
The sun was just setting as Seward ascended this hill.
Standing by the side of the three black wooden crosses,
which marked the spot of execution, and looking oflf toward
the distant city, whose roofs and domes were fading into
evening shadows, one could realize the feeling of the un-
fortunate Archduke, who here expiated, with his life, his
mistake of attempted ** Empire." While contemplating
the scene, a carriage drove up, containing some ladies
dad in deep mourning, and with them the uncle of Mira-
mon— '*Tio Joaquin" — as the three prisoners had aflFec-
tionately called him in the days of their captivity. The
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scene was a touching and impressive one, as he stood there,
with uncovered head, narrating to Seward, in low tones
and with deep feeling, the incidents of the capture, the
imprisonment, the trial, the farewell messages of the con-
demned men to their friends, their wishes as to the dis-
position of their remains, and their last utterances, as
they stood up to receive the volley that ended their lives.
Leaving Queretaro on the following day, the coach,
with its mounted escort, proceeded over valley and plain
and through passes in the Sierra, till it stopped for the
night at San Juan del Rio. Another hospitable welcome,
with addresses and music, greeted Seward's arrival. Here
was the boundary line between the states of Qtieretaio
and Mexico.
Two days more were spent, chiefly among the rocky
hills and roads that showed they were passing throu^ the
mountain chain surrounding the valley of Mexico. Here
were great plantations of the maguey, in every stage of
growth, and of its manufacture into the national beverage
of pulque. The Mexicans were amused at hearing their
northern guests give it the appellation of the ''century
plant, " wondering why, since here tall stalks with white
blossoms were visible every year in every field.
; At Arroyo Sarco, high up in the mountains, where the
stage stopped for the night, there was a fire on the hearth,
*'the only one you will see, or need, this winter. "
Now came the long descent toward valley and plain,
sometimes almost imperceptible, as the road wound
through forests and fields, sometimes quickly and rapidly
down some rocky declivity, but all the while downward
and downward still.
Eniierging from woods and rocks, on Monday, the 15th,
as the road wound along the mountainside, the travellers
saw, gradually unfolding before them, one of the most
magnificent panoramas of the world. The valley of
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The Guest of a Nation 409
Mexico lay spread out in the mellow autumn sunshine^
dotted here and there with white villages and sparkling
lakes, and surrounded by the blue mountain range from
which, high above the rest, rose the snow-dad cone of
Popocatepetl. Par in the distance were the gleaming
towers and spires of the city of Mexico. On one hand stood
a steep hill crowned with the palace-like castle of Chapulte-
pec. On the other was the clustering group of churches
and chapels in Guadalupe Hidalgo. ^
Down from the mountain, crossing the level plain,
passing cultivated fields, long causeways, and suburban
villages, the stage whirled on, till suddenly confronted,
some miles from the city, by a brilliant welcoming party.
Sefior Lerdo de Tejada, the Minister of Poreign Affairs,
Seflor Romero, the Minister of Finance, and Mr. Nelson,
the American Envoy, were waiting with carriages and a
cavalry escort, to receive and take the party to the city.
At the Garita de San Cosme the carriages paused again,
for there stood President Juarez, with his wife and daugh-
ter, come out to welcome the guest of the nation. The
cordial greetings of old friendship were exchanged as the
cavalcade rapidly went on through the streets past the old
Alameda of Montezuma, and the great equestrian statue
of Charles the Pourth, past stately churches, handsome
dwellings and public edifices, to the comer of Alfaro and
San Augustin Streets.
An open gateway led into a patio lined with plants and
flowers, and around it were the rooms of a charming house
fitted up with luxury. President Juarez, with a smile and
wave of his hand, said, '*Mr. Seward, will it please you to
enter your house? This is your home!"
Certainly the kind friends who had prepared this home
had spared no pains to give it every requisite for quiet
comfort, or for social entertainment. Built in the favour-
ite Spanish fashion, its large reception-, drawing-, and din-
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4IO The Guest of a Nation
ing-rooms looked out on the ornamental courtyard, whose
galleries, draped with tropical foliage, offered a choice of
sun or shade. Furnished and decorated in accordance
' with modem European taste, it was supplied with a corps
of servants and equipage^ to meet every possible wish«
As if to remind him of home, two of Canova's statues on
the main stairway were the same as those in the entrance
hall of his house at Auburn.
Visitors, Mexican, American, and European, came to
proffer warm greetings and kindly offices. With some, it
was the renewal of old friendship begun in Washington;
with others, it was the opening of a new and agreeable
acquaintance. It was especially pleasant to meet again
the Juarez and Romero families. The members of the
Cabinet called in a body. Military and civil officers,
formal deputations and private citizens, all came to
welcome the national guest, and made him feel that he
was no stranger, but a well-remembered friend.
A month was spent in this charming home. The dty
of Mexico has many places of historic interest. No day
was allowed to pass by its hospitable people, without
some agreeable excursion. The majestic Cathedral, the
spacious Plaza, the curious Aztec Calendar Stone, the
National Palace, with President, Cabinet, and Congress
in the exercise of their official fimctions, the Museum,
with its ancient Aztec memorials and bloody Sacrificial
Stone, the Mint and Assay Offices, the School of Mines
with its admirable equipment for educating xniners,
scientists, and engineers, the orderly and busy streets, the
gaily ornamented shops, the massive old convents and
beautiful churches, the Academy of Design, with paint-
ings and sculpture that showed the Mexicans to have more
natural taste and aptitude for the fine arts than their
northern neighbours, the libraries with their treasures of
rare and ancient volumes, the Monte de Piedad, whose
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The Guest of a Nation 411
benevolent functions have gone on uninterruptedly during
a century of wars and revolutions, the public institutions,
and the private dwellings, all seemed to have a welcome
for the nation's guest.
Strolls through the beautiful Alameda, drives on the
fashionable Paseo, and walks about the streets, with ever
novel views of the distant and glistening summits of
gigantic Popocatepetl, and his spouse Ixtacdhuatl, "the
Woman in White," were followed by longer excursions
about the dty and its romantic suburbs.
One of these drives was to look at the old cypress tree,
under which Cortez is said to have taken refuge, on the
"Noche Triste," after his bloody and disastrous battle in the
city. Another was a visit to Tacubaya with its fine
country seats, and to San Fernando with its historic
graves.
One day was spent in visiting Guadalupe Hidalgo,
where thousands of Indians were congregated to hold
their annual festival in honour of their patroness, "Our
Lady of Guadalupe." A picture of the Virgin Mary, with
Aztec dress and complexion, is enshrined there with
reverence, as being of supernatural origin, and as com-
memorating her aspect at the time when she appeared
to Juan Diego. The tradition has built up a great town,
with churches and convents, aroimd the spot where he
saw his vision.
Another interesting day was spent in company with the
Ministers of War and Finance and their families, in visiting
the battlefields of Contreras, Churubusco, Chapultepec,
Molino del Rey, and the Belen Gate, as well as the haci-
enda of La Canada, a favourite resort of Maximilian.
Then there were excursions by boat up the Grand Canal,
to see the monument to Guatamozin, the famous "Float-
ing Gardens," the "Rock Pifion," the warm springs, and
the lakes Chalco and Tezcoco.
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412 The Guest of a Nation
One mormng, as the party were passing through a hall
of the National Palace, an attendant threw open a side
door and invited them to look in. A large room was
piled full of the dusty, mouldering relics of the dead Em-
pire— scarlet canopies, laced liveries, jewelled swords,
gold and silver cups and vases, rods and maces of court
ushers, belts and caps of imperial guards, royal portraits,
chairs of state, battered statuary and broken monograms,
f umitiu^ from throne and banquet rooms, costly trappings
and useless rubbish, all thrown confusedly together as no
longer of any service. It was like the property-room of a
theatre, save that here the tragedy was a real one, and its
insignia were of enormous cost. No sermon on the vanity
of human greatness was ever preached, half so eloquent
as that silent room!
There was a round of festivities arid hospitalities, public
and private. There was a dinner at the United States
Legation, followed by a ladies' reception. There was a
dinner at Mr. Lerdo's and another at Mr. Romero's.
There was a military parade of the regular troops. There
was a gran funcion at the Circo de Chiarini, another at
the Opera of Crispino e la Comare, and another at the
Ittirbide Theatre of La Cabafla de Tom {Uncle Tarn's
Cabin).
The 24th of November was spent with President Juarez
and his family at the beautiful castle of Chapultepec,
which had been fitted up with all the decorations and
appliances of modem art as one of the imperial residences.
The dinner was served in the great hall, and several hours
were passed in looking at the state apartments, galleries,
corridors and courtyards, fountains and gardens, terraces
and groves, and in viewing the magnificent prospect.
The golden-hued valley of Mexico stretched away in the
sunshine; the white walls and towers of the city gleaming
in the foreground, while in the remote distance loomed
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The Guest of a Nation 4^3
up the snowy summits of the two motmtain giants-^
Popocatepetl and the "Woman in White."
On the 27th of November came a grand banquet at the
National Palace, the invitations to which were issued by
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the name of the Presi-
dent of the Republic and ' ' in honour of William H. Seward.''
Four hundred guests, including all the chief officers of the
government and the leading members of Congress, sat at
the table — ^Juarez and Seward together at the head. Here,
as at the other festive gatherings, music, toasts, and
speeches prolonged the proceedings to a late hour. These
were full of enthusiastic and affectionate references both
to the United States and to Seward. One of the most
eloquent of the orators was Senor Altamirano of Guerrero.
He said:
"This banquet is not to the foreign monarch, who,
leaving his throne for travel, is received with official
orations; nor to the conqueror, raising the cup to his lips
with a bloody hand. It is the apostle of human rights,
the defender of the dignity of America, and one of the
venerable patriarchs of liberty, whom we welcome in our
midst, and in honour of whom we decorate with flowers
our Mexican homes. ... It is not merely Seward, the
great statesman of the age, Premier of the United States.
I see, and only wish to see in him, the friend of humanity,
the enemy of slavery, and the liberator of the bondsman t
His heart, his thoughts, his whole life have been consumed
inthetaski"
In his speech of acknowledgment Seward adverted to
the crisis of 1861, when Slavery had taken up arms in
alarm for its life, and had organized rebellion aiming at the
dissolution of the Union:
"The statesmen of Europe, with its press almost unan-
imous, announced that the United States of America
had ceased to exist as one whole sovereign and organized
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414 The Guest of a Nation
nation. The Emperor of France, emtx>ldened by the
seeming prostration of the United States, landed invading
armies at Vera Cruz and Acapulco and overran the terri-
tories of Mexico, overthrowing all its republican institu-
tions and establishing upon its ruins an European empire.
''With the United States in anarchy, San Domingo re-
established as a monarchy, and Mexico as an empire, it
was unavoidable that republicanism must perish through-
out the whole continent. ... In that hour of supreme
trial, I thought I knew, better than the enemies of our
cause, the resources, the energies, and the virtues of the
imperilled nation. The United States became, for the
first time, in sincerity and earnestness, the friend and
ally of every other Republican State in America, and all
the Republican States became, from that hour, the
friends and allies of the United States. "
On the 9th of December, came the grand ball at the
National Theatre, which closed this series of hospitable
demonstrations. The theatre was brilliantly lighted, and
decorated from floor to roof with flowers, and with Mexi-
can and American flags. Three thousand guests were
present. After the opening quadrilles, there were waltzes
and galops, but, most frequent of all, the favourite na-
tional danza, with its soft, slow music, and its graceful
movement — the dance of all others best adapted to a great
ball, since it enables each guest to meet and exchange
greetings with every other.
The street by which the guests arrived and departed
seemed to have changed into a great illuminated and
decorated arcade.
The time fixed for departure was now approaching.
Farewell visits were made and exchanged. The day
before leaving, there was a "last breakfast, " at the beauti-
ful country seat of Mr. Barron at Tacubaya. Many and
warm were the heartfelt expressions of affection and
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The Guest of a Nation 415
regret that were exchanged with Mexican friends, on
bidding adieu to them and to their historic dty.
And now the mode of travel was changed. Mexico's
first railway had been completed from the city as far as
Puebla, and a special train was in waiting to take Seward
thither. He left Mexico on the i8th of December in the
President's car, and was accompanied as far as the first
station by Sefiors Lerdo, Romero, and Mejia of the Cabinet
and their families. Luxurious and easy as was the car, it
had one disadvantage as compared with the stagecoach
in the mountams; for it gave but passing glimpses, instead
of intimate acquaintance, with the country traversed.
The train whirled only too rapidly through Ometusco,
Apam, San Juan, Tehuacan, and the battlefield of Cortez
at Otumba.
Reaching Puebla toward evening, after a run of one
hundred and sixteen miles, they were welcomed by the
Governor and the local authorities, and were lodged in the
Bishop's Palace — ^that prelate having gone to Rome to
attend the Ecumenical Conference. The Palace was a
spacious and stately structure, with long suites of apart-
ments for the accommodation or entertainment of clerical
visitors, as well as the keeping of valuable records and
works of art. Some of the walls and ceilings had been
frescoed by modem artists. One, containing the doorway
to the Bishop's sleeping-room, had been painted (through
some religious or artistic whim) in exact imitation of the
entrance to a grated prison cell. It was said that Maxi-
milian, who occupied the room on his last visit to Puebla,
started back and shook his head with a melancholy smile
on seeing this ominous presage.
Directly across the plaza was the great Cathedral, the
largest and richest on the continent, and all around could
be seen the towers and steeples of the churches and con-
vents that attested the fidelity of Puebla to the ecdesiasti-
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4i6 The Guest of a Nation
cal organization of which it had long been a stronghold.
Besides these edifices, Puebla had other points of more
modem interest, in its fortifications and battlefields, its
buildings riddled and shattered by artillery during the
war with the French. The victory won here by Zaragoza,
on the 5th of May, has made the Cinco de Mayo a national
holiday.
One day was devoted to an excursion to Tlascala — a
city three centuries old. Here was the capital of the Indian
republic whose people became the allies of Cortez, and
aided him in his war on Montezuma's empire and the final
conquest of Mexico. Many buildings are still standing
which date back to the time of the conquest. Among
them is the church built by the Spaniards in 1529 — the
first spot on the continent dedicated to Christian worship.
The Governor of Tlascala and his staff met and welcomed
Seward to the city, and taking him to the State Palace
exhibited the antiquarian relics preserved with care —
among them portraits of the "Conquistadores," and of
the Tlascalan allied chieftains, ancient documents bear*
ing their signatures, Aztec weapons and musical instru-
ments then in use, and the royal banner unfurled by Cortez,
faded and worn, but still nearly whole.
Another interesting trip was to Cholula, to visit the
celebrated pyramid, whose origin was in some remote age
before the days of historians. As the carriage approached
the town, its people were seen gathering in the plaza ; while
a himdred church bells were chiming forth a welcome.
Ascending to the top of the pyramid by the winding path-
way, paved with lava, they found there the old Spanish
church, standing on the ruins of the still older heathen
temple devoted to human sacrifices.
The Prefecto and other authorities received Seward
with addresses and a collation. One of the incidents of the
feast was the appearance of a band of musicians, attired
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The Guest of a Nation 417
in the costumes and playing upon the ancient instruments
the wild and plaintive melodies of their Aztec ancestors.
In his speech, Seward said:
''The scene around me seems like one to awaken momen-
tary inspiration. I am on the steps of the Aztec Pjrramid
which is one of the most stupendous altars of human
sacrifice ever erected to propitiate the Deity, in the ages
when He was universally tmderstood to be a God of
vengeance. Around me Ues that magnificent plain, where
an imperial savage throne was brought down to the dust,
and I am surrounded by Christian churches and altars.
''After a long contest with monarchial and imperial
ambitions, the independence of the ancient Aztec race
has been reconquered, without the loss of the Christian
religion, and consolidated in a representative Federal
Republic. Witnesses of towering majesty and impressive
silence are looking down upon me — La Malinche, bewilder-
ing, because she is so indistinct, and the volcanoes of
Popocatepetl, Ixtaccihuatl, and Orizaba, clad in their
eternal vestments of snow, attest that nature remains
unchangeable, and only men, nations, and races are
subject to revolution. "
Returned to Puebla the party were entertained at a
banquet by Governor Romero y Vargas, at which forty
or fifty guests were present. On the morning of the 23d
they bade adieu. The Governor and his staflE accom-
panied them as far as Tepeaca, where they stopped for
breakfast. Then they proceeded on their way in a stage
escorted by a detachment of the neatly uniformed Rural
Guard of Puebla — ^the railway to Vera Cruz not being yet
completed. It was fortunate for them that it was not,
for then they would have missed the majestic scenery of
Las Cimabres and Aculzingo, where the road descends
from the temperate plateau above to the torrid plain
below — six thousand feet — ^in ten miles. Gazing at the
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41 8 The Guest of a Nation
apparently illimitable prospect of mountains, canons,
cascades, precipices, and plains, a Califomian remarked
with a sigh, "Until today I thought that nothing could
beat the Yosemite!"
They arrived at the quaint old city of Orizaba on Christ-
mas eve. Horsemen and carriages were in waiting at the
gates, city authorities with the ever-pleasant and welcome
greeting, and a large and handsome house ready for
occupancy. Ten days were spent in Orizaba, enlivened
by the festivities of the Christmas season. Many usages
and customs with which a devout race has surrotmded it
were new to the American travellers. Then there were
fine old churches, handsome fruit gardens, and modem
factories to be visited. Many localities were pointed out
that had been the scenes of incidents of the French in-
vasion, or of the war with the United States, cnmabling
fortifications, deserted camp grounds, and battered walls.
The front of one church bore so many scars of battle,
marks of bullets and of cannon balls, that inquiry was
made "when that fierce fight occurred?" The bystander
to whom the question was addressed shrugged his shoul-
ders, and said he did not remember; "Es costumbre dd
pais, senor. " (It is the custom of the coimtry, sir!)
Magnificent scenery surrounds Orizaba, whose promi-
nent featiu^, everjrwhere visible, is the high, conical snow-
capped peak which bears its name.
Leaving Orizaba on the 4th of January, they overtook
and passed a procession peculiar to Mexico. This was a
great conducta — a, train of more than forty carts laden
with thousands of dollars in specie, for export. Each cart
was drawn by fourteen to eighteen mules, and the whole
were guarded by a force of eight htmdred government
troops. The conducta halted and the soldiers presented
arms as "the nation's guest" passed by.
The journey to Vera Cruz by way of Cordova was
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The Guest of a Nation 419
through a wild and rcx^ky region. The road passed through
luxuriant tropical forests in its gradual descent to the
coast. A short pause was made to look at the work
on the Chiquihuite Pass — a gigantic piece of railway
engineering.
Now they were in '*Tierra Caliente, " out of the region
of grain fields, orchards, and magueys, and again among
bananas, oranges, sugar plantations, and cane huts. At
Paso del Macho, a train was in waiting; and in a few hours
more they were in Vera Cruz. * ' Mr. Seward's house " was
ready here also. This time it was one belonging to Mr.
Schleiden, a merchant of Vera Cruz, and a brother of an
old friend, formerly Minister at Washington from the
Hanseatic cities. The Governor of the state of Vera Cruz,
the Collector of the Port, and other federal and state
officials, in full uniform, soon came to pay a visit of
ceremony and tender a welcome.
Only one more week remained before departure. It
was passed in rambles through the well-paved, substantial
streets of Vera Cruz, visits to its historic spots,* to its great
Mole, and to the Castle of San Juan de UUoa. One day
was spent in penning farewell letters to the kind friends
who had made the journey through the ji^ublic so
memorable and enjoyable. ••.
Besides the formal letter of thanks adc&essed to the
Government, Seward wrote to President Jivarez:
"But I could not think of leaving the cotmtry without
making a more direct and unstudied acknowledgment of
my profound sense of obligation to you for the attentions
and hospitaUty with which you have received myself and
family during our delightful sojourn in Mexico, "
To Mr. Romero he wrote:
"It is not to renew my grateful acknowledgment that I
write this parting letter, so much as it is to assure you of
my profound sympathy with you in your arduous labours
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420 Napoleon III. and His Ministers
for the restoration of law, order, prosperity, and prestige
in Mexico. "
And to Mr. Bossero, the Government Commissioner
who had accompanied him from Guadalajara, he expressed
his thanks "for cares and attentions, which have not
merely saved me from every danger and discomfort,
but which have made the jotimey of my family and
friends a constant instruction and continual pleasure."
There was no steamer from Vera Cruz proceeding
directly to the United States, all the lines touching at
Havana. As the change from a tropical to a northern
climate in mid-winter was not desirable, Seward decided
to spend a few weeks in Cuba, so as to reach home in the
early spring. He embarked on. the Cleopatra, Captain
Phillips, on the afternoon of Tuesday, January ilth.
Long after she had passed the Castle and out of the
harbour, and had lost sight of the coast, the snowy crown
of the Pico de Orizaba was glistening in the rays of the
setting sun on the distant horizon. It was Uke a last
glimpse of an old friend, and the party sat on deck in the
evening watching it, and recalling their thousand-and-one
pleasant memories of the journey through Mexico.
Napoleon in. and His Ministers. A Talk with M.
Drouyn de PHuys. It was after the dose of our Civil
War, the collapse of the Mexican Empire, and the fall of
Napoleon III., that my father for the last time visited
Paris. He had retired from office as Secretary of State,
and had spent two years in travel. On his return from his
journey round the world, he stopped in Paris to meet old
friends, and to watch the growth of the young Republic.
Mr. O'SuUivan, a resident there who had been connected
with the American diplomatic service, describes an inter-
view that took place between my father and M. Drouyn de
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Napoleon III. and His Ministers 421
THuys, who had been the Emperor's Minister of Foreign
AflEairs. He writes:
''Knowing both these eminent men, remembering how,
at the heads of the departments of foreign affairs of Prance
and the United States, they had been pitted against each
other under extraordinary and critical drctmistances,
and happening to visit them both on the same day, I
thought they ought to come together, and mentioned it
each to the other.
"'I should be most delighted to meet Mr. Seward,'
said M. Drouyn de I'Huys; 'we have been opposed to
each other, as athletes, but I preserve a great esteem and
respect for him, and I know that he has always spoken
kindly of me. Moreover I have not forgotten some
excellent cigars which he did me the agreeable honour of
sending to me.'
" 'M. Drouyn de 1' Huys, ' said Mr. Seward on the other
hand, 'why, I was but yesterday thinking of how to find
him and call upon him.'
"It is not therefore wonderful that the next day Mr.
Seward and I alighted at the door of M. Drouyn de
THuys, after a pleasant drive up the Champs Elys6es.
They met with the utmost cordiality, and manifest
pleasure reflected from each coimtenance. Mr. Seward
explained that he, unforttmately, could not grasp and
shake the hand held out to him, as he once could have
done. M. Drouyn de V Huys is a tall, large, and powerful
man, not much if at all beyond sixty, with a massive head
and open countenance, a very English general appearance,
a very kindly as well as intellectual expression, and
manners at once cordial, frank, and simple. He speaks
English quite well.
"I need not describe Mr. Seward, with the sad traces
of his cruel wounds on his face, and his arms rendered
helpless: but with the same bright gleam under his bushy
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422 Napoleon III. and His Ministers
eyebrows, the same hearty laugh at a good point of his
own or anybody else's, and the same continuous flow of
bold and pleasant talk, as of old, in his better — ^no, not his
better — ^but his yotmger days.
"I must do lum the justice to say that he occupied a
good three-fourths of the conversation, while neither M.
Drouyn de THuys nor I myself could have wished it
otherwise.
**An interview of about an hour and a half, in which
the conversation ranged far and wide, on topics embracing
politics as well as geography, no stenographer present,
no notes taken, and myself the only third person present
(you will forgive to my Irish origin the implication that
there might be more than one 'third person '), I myself too
much tmder the charm of the talk to think of fixing it in
my recollection for narrative — ^how can I give you much
of an accotmt of it ? But I will do my best.
"It began on the topic of his travels. I believe I
started it by remarking that he was probably the only
man to whom it had ever occurred, since the world was
made, to have been so nearly killed by being thrown from
a carriage; then, while lying helpless, to have been left
for dead under the stabs of a powerful assassin; and then
with advanced years superadded to all that, and strength
greatly impaired by the consequences of his injuries, to
have made tl *. circuit of the globe, which he would have
accomplished, as soon as he had got back home from his
present journey.
"This led Mr. Seward to give an interesting accotmt of
what he had done. After his eight years of direction of
the foreign affairs of his own country, he had a desire to
visit the different nations with whom or about whom he
had had, in various ways, to deal.
"He first went to Alaska, which he had bought from
Russia with a view to marking the whole hemisphere as
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Napoleon III. and His Ministers 423
properly belonging to the American system up to the
North Pole.
*'Then he went to Mexico, whose struggle against
imperialism had furnished one of the gravest questions of
his term of administration.
**Then to Cuba which is a chronic source of diplomatic
questions for the American Government.
''On this second journey, the present one, he took in
Japan, China, India and Egypt, and now Europe.
"Prom Paris he was going to Berlin, and thence home
by way of London,
''It had been a matter of great interest to him to meet
many men with whom he had had more or less dealing as
Secretary of State: the ministers as well as the sovereigns,
with whom he had discussed international questions on
behalf of his Government. He had paid a very pleasant
visit to Lord Napier, formerly at Washington, now
Governor of Madras ; Lord Lyons, formerly at Washington,
now British Ambassador at Paris. Another of his old
friends he had great pleasure in meeting was Henri
Merder, formerly French Minister to the United States
during the Mexican imbroglio, a loyal adherent to the
Imperial dynasty, always cordial and friendly in his good
wishes for the United States.
"M. Drouyn de THuys asked: 'Can you tell me any-
thing recent about Signor Bertinatti, formerly Italian
Minister at Washington, who was once a confidential and
private ambassador from me to you at a grave emergency
in our diplomatic intercourse?'
"Mr. Seward answered: 'Oh, yes, he is just as true and
earnest and sjrmpathetic as he was then. He is now
Italian Minister at The Hague, where he writes he has
just been fitting a house to receive me. I regret very
much that I am imable to see him.'
"'By the way, those confidential missions formed a
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4^4 Napoleon III. and His Ministers
very important feature in the intercourse between our
governments. I early learned that the Emperor liked that
way of doing business, better than the ordinary diplomatic
channel. He sent several confidential messages to me by
persons outside of your department. But I always made
it a point that our confidential replies should pass through
the hands of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I was un-
willing to be a party in keeping a secret from him.*
"The conversation then turned upon Mr. Seward's
former acquaintance with the Emperor and his visit to
Paris in 1859. M. Drouyn de THuys asked: 'What
opinions did you form of the persons you met here
then?'
"*0f Walewski, that he was a minister who was not
possessed of the Emperor's entire confidence. Of the
Empress, that she was an amiable woman, whose influence
was exaggerated. Of the Emperor, that he was a man of
eminent talents and sagacity; that he desired to promote
social progress in France; and that he was bolder in social
reform than I had anticipated from the manner in which
he reached the throne. '
" 'What do you think of him now?'
**'I do not allow myself, if I can avoid it, to judge
statesmen any more than generals on the mere ground of
their success. I was astonished when I saw the Emperor
afterwards balancing so closely between the United
States Government and the Rebellion, and finally throw-
ing his sword into the scale, by his expedition to Mexico.
I had seen him when he was in exile in the United States;
he talked with me at CompiSgne about his visit there.
I could not believe it possible that a European statesman
who had visited the United States would fail to see that
the combination of the States was impregnable, and that
the American continent should never again be the theatre
of European aggression or invasion.'
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Napoleon III. and His Ministers 425
***Then you were disappointed?'
'"Yes, but hardly more so with the position taken by
the Emperor than with the position which the British
Government at first assumed. I told Lord Lyons yester-
day, half seriously, that the three most impudent men in
history are Hernando Cortez, himself and Henri Mercier:
Hernando Cortez when he proposed to Montezuma that
he should leave his palace, and become the hostage in
Cortez's headquarters for the preservation of peace; Lord
Lyons and Mercier, when, under instructions, they came
together to the Department of State to announce an
agreement between the British Government and the
Emperor as to the course they should jointly pursue in
regard to the American question. I told them that the
United States were bound to hear any respectful message
from either of those governments separately, but they
were not bound to receive conmitmications from those
states conjointly. The two ministers assented and with-
drew; and each afterwards returned, with a message from
his own government, without referring to the action of the
other. '
"Perhaps," suggested Mr. O'SuUivan, ''you over-
estimated the personal capacity of the late Emperor, and
that at the bottom of the Mexican expedition there were
influences and motives which did not appear on the sur-
face. M. Drouyn de THuys, though in the ministry
during the period, where he had to treat with you the
questions growing out of it, was not in it at the under-
taking of the Mexican expedition, to which he had always
been opposed. "
M. Drouyn de THuys confirmed this. He said that all
had been settled, the attack on Puebla made, and the
engagement with Maximilian taken before he (M. Drouyn
de I'Huys) came in. He added this was not the only
mistake and disaster for which he was not responsible.
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4^6 Napoleon III. and His Ministers
but which he was called upon to meet, and to do the best
possible for his country in a situation created by others.
Mr. Seward replied: "I can well understand this now,
though I did not then. From the time of Joseph in the
Court of Pharaoh, until now, it has been the hard task of a
prime minister to give up all the merits of his own opinions
to his chief, and to bear himself the responsibilities of all
the chief's errors.
"It is the necessary condition of ministerial service. I
was always adverse to that service. But in the most
critical hour we ever had, my country demanded that
service of me, and would accept no other. It was rendered
with a full knowledge of the conditions attached. The
minister's reward for such misapprehensions is to be
found in the approbation of his own conscience. "
Mr. O'SuUivan remarked: "M. Drouyn de I'Huys had
left the ministry before the final arrangement was made
for the evacuation of Mexico by the French army. He,
I presume, is as desirous as I am, to elicit your version of
that transaction. The world thought that you might have
been a little less rough with France, at the very end, —
than you were, in hurrying them out so very peremptorily."
Mr. Seward answered: "Of course the world did not
know the exact situation. It taxed all the confidence
which the people of the United States had in me, when I
consented to take the Emperor's stipulation to withdraw
the French army from Mexico in three instalments, in
November, March, and the November following.
"They said the stipulation on his part was perfidious.
I knew better. I knew that the Emperor had every motive
to be sincere, and I trusted him; at the same time I thought
that the withdrawal would necessarily be made all at
once, and earlier than he had promised to complete it.
As the time approached for the withdrawal of the first
instalment, the Emperor foimd, as I had apprehended he
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Napoleon III. and His Ministers 427
would, that miKtary exigencies would prevent the execu-
tion of the plan of evacuation by instalments.
"The Marquis de Montholon approached me early in
the season, for the purpose of sounding me upon a propo-
sition to delay the November evacuation. Conscious of
the difficulty existing on our side, I repelled his suggestion
with so much decision that he forbore from presenting me
the communication from his Government, in which the
proposition was made.
"At a later day he came to read to me the communica-
tion from his Government, in which it was stated that the
Emperor would not withdraw a portion of the troops in
November, but would withdraw the whole in the spring.
When this communication was received, the session of
Congress was near at hand. It was sure to be unsatis-
factory to them and to the people. Our Civil War was at
an end. General Grant, with the Mexican Legation
urging him on one side, and a powerful party in Congress
on the other, was inclined to send an army into Mexico
to expel the French. I knew this was unnecessary. I
knew it was easier to send an American army into Mexico
than it was to get it out again. My understanding of the
Monroe Doctrine is, that the United States shall maintain
American republics against monarchial intervention, but
not absorb them by fraud or force. I therefore hurried
oflf a strong dispatch by telegraph to be read to the
Emperor, which would arouse him to the necessity of
giving us a guaranty for the execution of his project. "
"Ah, " said Mr. O'SuUivan, "that was the famous cable
dispatch of two thousand words, I suppose. "
"Yes," replied Mr. Seward, "it contained seven hun-
dred and fifty words, but the telegraphic cipher at that
time had a faculty of multiplying signs, so that I think it
was given out by some of the telegraph people that it
contained ten thousand words. Mr. Bigelow intimated the
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428 Napoleon III. and His Ministers
earnest character of the dispatch to M. Lavalette, then
Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Emperor declined to
hear it read, but gave the guaranties which the dispatch
required, so the transaction was satisfactorily dosed,
without offence on either side.
"It was a pleasant experience in Mexico, to receive the
thanks of the President and his ministers for my agency in
procuring the withdrawal of the French army without
sending the United States force to expel it. "
Many were the exclamations and expressions of interest
and sympathy which M. Drouyn de THuys made in reply
to the brief account which, at his request, Mr. Seward
gave of the fearful events of the assassination night at
Washington.
Mr. Seward said that it had been a subject of some
amusement to him, to note the European reverberations
of the telegraphic accounts of that night. ''At the
moment when it occurred, India was rapidly coming to
replace the United States in supplying the world with
cotton. At Bombay they showed me two telegrams. The
first was, 'London, April 15th, Lincoln shot, Seward
murdered.' The next one was, 'London, April 16th,
Lincoln dead. Seward not dead. Cotton a shade
better. *
M. Drouyn de I'Huys expressed a hope that he might
some time be able to visit the United States.
Mr. Seward said: "You must come while I am there to
receive you; come while I am alive. "
"Oh," answered M. Drouyn de THuys, "no fear of
that, after all you have gone through without its prevent-
ing you from making a tour of the globe. I do not see
what could ever kill you, until you may choose to die of
your own accord, after all the rest of us. "
And so they parted, as genially as they had met.
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Legislative Life 429
1869, etc.
Retirement to fbe Country. After my father's death,
the next few years were largely devoted to gathering his
correspondence, and writing the memoir of his life.
This work was partly done at his old homestead in
Auburn, and partly at our new home, which I had pur-
chased, on the banks of the Hudson River. It was a
rough, uncultivated piece of ground, hardly fit for farm
purposes, but possessing a fine prospect and the possi-
bilities of natural beauty that might be developed and
improved.
There was a plain substantial brick house, which
would serve for a residence. My family were installed
in it, and we began the operations of gardening and
cultivation.
There was ample leisure for literary work, plenty of
fresh air and exercise, and notable peace and quiet. Here
we have lived ever since, except for the periods devoted
to travel, or the exigencies of public life, when I was
called to Albany or Washington or New York.
1875.
Legislative Life. In 1874 the Republicans of one of the
New York City districts invited me to become their
candidate for the Assembly. I was elected, and in con-
sequence found it necessary to take up my residence in
Albany again, for the winter. I rented a furnished house,
very near what had once been the site of the Pearl Street
Academy, where I had spent my early school days.
It was fifteen years since I had formerly resided in
Albany, but the old town seemed much like home. It
had grown considerably to the north, south, and westward
— ^but its general aspect was the same. Many old land-
marks were stiU standing, though surrounded by many
new residences and places of business. The "Governor's
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430 Legislative Life
Mansion " of my boyish memories was gone. The historic
home of the old Patroons, the ** Van Rensselaer Mansion,"
was standing, but no longer occupied by the family. The
"Schuyler Mansion" of revolutionary fame had been
turned into a public institution. New churches had been
erected in various parts of the city, for the use of their
old congregations. The old freestone Capitol still stood
on State Street HUl, though showing many signs of age
and premonitions of its approaching end.
Under the astute and able management of Governor
TUden, "the Democrats had swept the State," and the
Republicans were in a minority in the Legislature. But
the Assembly still retained some of its veteran leaders,
among them Lieutenant-Governor Alvord, ex-Speaker
Husted, and L. Bradford Prince.
Shall I confess that the issues presented for our con-
sideration seemed to me, at first, comparatively trivial,
and unimportant? Certainly they did not awaken such
enthusiasm in their favour, or such rancour and bitterness
among their opponents, as I had been accustomed to
at Washington. Yet there were some questions among
them that were of high importance to the welfare of the
State.
As the work of the session went on, I found that,
although belonging to the minority, I received my full
share of consideration. I was listened to with courtesy,
though voted down on all partisan questions. Whenever
I clearly demonstrated that a measure was undoubtedly
for the public good, I found no difficulty in obtaining
support for it. Speaker McGuire appointed me on various
committees — I think eleven or twelve in all.
Among the measures of chief importance at this time
were "rapid transit" in the city of New York, canal
investigation and reforms, and amendments to the Con-
stitution. I introduced two Constitutional Amendments,
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A Puzzled Potentate 431
providing for a Superintendent of Prisons and a Superin-
tendent of Public Works, which were afterwards adopted.
I introduced also the bill for the construction of the Ninth
Avenue Elevated Railroad, which was the first experiment
in the way of "rapid transit. " So it fell to me also to be
one of the spokesmen in behalf of the advocates of the
reduction of canal tolls, of the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children, and of other measures, for the
improvement of the Banking System, and the adoption of
general laws instead of specific charters.
The Legislature supported the policy of Governor
Tilden in regard to the investigations of canal frauds, and
the amendments to the New York City Charter. It also
elected Francis Keman to be United States Senator, in
place of Governor Morgan, and extended an honorary
welcome to William C. Bryant, and passed a flood of bills
of minor and local interest.
In the fall, the Republican State Convention nominated
me for Secretary of State, and named several veteran
Republicans as candidates for other State offices; among
them Francis E. Spinner, whose signature as United States
Treasurer was so well known throughout the Civil War.
In the election, however, we were unsuccessful; the
Democrats again carrying the State, though by a reduced
majority.
1877.
A Pozaded Potentate. When the head of a government
is changed, it is the custom for every diplomatic repre-
sentative to wait upon the sovereign to whom he is
accredited, and formally announce the fact. In accord-
ance with this usage, our representative at the Court of
one of the Barbary Powers formally annoimced to his
Highness the Bey the accession of Rutherford B. Hayes to
the Presidency of the United States.
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432 The Vice-President of the Confederacy
When the formal ceremony was over the Bey signified
he would like to have a little private conversation with
the minister. Said he:
"What has become of General Grant?"
'*He retires from his position to give place to Mr.
Hayes."
"Was the fighting bloody, or long continued? Was
Washington captured?"
''Oh! no, your Majesty. All was peaceable and con-
ducted in order. "
"And what proportion of the army does General Grant
take with him? And what part of the public treasure is
allotted to him?"
"None at all, your Majesty; General Grant simply
becomes a private citizen, "
''How," exclaimed the Bey, "a private citizen! Why,
we have been hearing for years that this General Grant
was one of the greatest military commanders of the age.
And now it seems he has surrendered his Capitol, aban-
doned his army, and given up his revenues to his successor
— all without even striking a blow. Allah il allah! God
is great, but this is incomprehensible!"
The Vice-President of the Confederacy. Alexander H.
Stephens was a prominent and dramatic figure in Con-
gress, in the early days of the Hayes Administration.
He was back in his old position as a Democratic leader
in the House of Representatives, as before the War. But
age and illness had overtaken him. He could not rise
from his seat to address the Speaker. When he wished to
speak, his invalid chair was wheeled down the aisle to the
open space in front of the Clerk's desk, and, as he sat there,
his emphatic, but shrill and enfeebled voice was listened to
with marked attention by a House that seldom listened
to any one else.
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The Vice-President of the Confederacy 433
The Democrats had a strong majority, and many of
them were inclined to oppose the President, and even to
refuse appropriations for his administration, on the ground
that Tilden instead of Hayes shotdd have been in the
Presidential chair.
At the instance of Secretary Evarts, I had been recalled
to my old position of Assistant Secretary of State, and met
again in the Department many of those whom I had left
there eight years before.
One morning a message was brought me that Mr.
Stephens would like to have a call from me at his rooms,
where he was ill in bed.
I went down to the hotel and found him propped up in
bed with pillows, and attended by a nurse. It was an
attenuated form, with emaciated face. In a voice hardly
above a whisper, he said: '*I have something to say to
you, Mr. Seward, which perhaps may be of importance,
and I hoped to say it today. But I find myself too weak.
I shall be stronger in a day or two, and then I would like
to come up to your rooms, if you will arrange for a pri-
vate interview with me there. "
Of course, I promised. A few days later he was
brought to the Department. I shut out all other visitors,
and his wheeled chair, brought up in the elevator, was
rolled into my room by a stout black man. A tall young
Georgian whom I took to be his secretary attended him.
To him Mr. Stephens said: "You may go now. I shall
not need you any longer."
The young man bowed and retired. The black man,
however, remained sitting calmly and placidly on the
sofa. Looking toward him, I said, "Don't you wish him
to go too?"
Mr. Stephens looked up in surprise. "That, — oh, that
is George. He is always with me. I've no secrets from
George. "
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434 The Vice-President of the Confederacy
So George stayed through the interview; but apparently
took very little interest in it.
After a little chat over the old times before the war,
when he and my father were so long at opposite ends of the
Capitol, and on opposite sides of political questions, he
said, in substance:
"Though always sharing in the opinions of my section,
I was not in favour of disunion. . When secession was
first talked of, I opposed it. But I found there was no
use in resisting what had become the general feeling of otir
people, and when my State seceded, I acquiesced in the
situation. Later I accepted the place of Vice-President
of the Confederacy, partly in the hope of mitigating the
horrors of the war, which had become inevitable, and of
ending it, whenever that could be done with honour, and
with due regard to the interests of the South.
*'Your father and I did not see each other again until
we met in the Fortress Monroe Conference, where he with
Mr. Lincoln, and I with my colleagues, made an unavailing
attempt to agree on terms of peace, "
Continuing, he remarked that these were now all
matters of past history. Recanting none of his past
opinions, which were carefully set forth in his books, he
remained a Southerner and a Democrat. But he now was
once more a Representative in the Congress of the United
States. He purposed to accept and faithfully discharge
the duties and responsibilities of that position. And so
he added, "I expect and desire to die a Union man. "
Then he went on to say that he should not be a sup-
porter of the administration, and should oppose any
meastire that seemed to him merely Republican and
partisan. But he should countenance no unpatriotic
refusal to vote for measures that were for the true interests
of the country and the public welfare. He should advise
his colleagues not to deny or oppose any just and proper
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The Recognition of Porfirio Diaz 435
appropriations needed for the maintenance of the
Government at home, and to uphold its interests and
prestige abroad.
''It seemed to me that I must say this to somebody. I
could not go to the White House and say it to the President
without exciting talk and perhaps provoking newspaper
controversy. The members of his Cabinet I have no
personal acqttaintance with. But I can talk with you, on
the score of old acquaintance, and what I say you are at
liberty to repeat to them. "
The conversation was somewhat long, as he expressed
himself more clearly and emphatically on these points,
in more detail.
Of course the President and Cabinet were gratified to
know of his views and his proposed course of action. So
far as I am aware, he faithfully adhered to it during his
term in Congress.
I did not see him again. His call at the State Depart-
ment seemed to excite no outside remark, as many of the
leading ex-Confederates — Gordon, Lamar, King, Trescott,
and others — ^were frequent visitors at my rooms to discuss
questions of foreign policy or candidates for foreign
positions.
1877.
The Recognition of Porfirio Diaz* Among the diplo-
matic questions awaiting decision by the new administra-
tion of President Hayes, was one about which I was
supposed to be especially qualified by past experience to
speak. This was our policy in reference to Mexico. Of
course I was familiar with all the events of the rise and
fall of the French invasion, and Maximilian's Empire, and
the restoration of the Republicans to power there.
When I was in Mexico with my father in 1869, we found
a peaceable and grateful Republic under the benign ad-
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43^ The Recognition of Porfirio Diaz
ministration of our old friend Benito Juarez, with Lerdo as
Vice-President and Romero as Secretary of the Treasury.
We had fondly imagined that Mexico had now entered
upon a new era in her troublous history, and that con-
stitutional Presidents, in due cotirse of election, would
succeed each other there, as in the United States.
But in the intervening eight years President Juarez had
died. His successor, Lerdo, was driven from power; and
the Presidency had been grasped by Porfirio Diaz, whom
we had known as an able and patriotic general and pre-
sumably a supporter of the constitutional order of things.
Now he appeared in the unwelcome character of a
disturber of the public peace and a usurper of the Presi-
dential o£Sce by revolution. We were assured that the
Mexicans approved of him, and would not, at all events,
resist his accession to supreme power.
It fell to me, therefore, to outline the policy of the
United States in regard to Mexico, as well as in reference
to other Spanish-American Republics. The rules thxis
laid down have been followed ever since by the Govern-
ment of the United States. In an instruction to Mr*
Poster, I wrote:
''It is the custom to accept and recognize the results of
a popular choice in Mexico, and not to scrutinize closely
the regularity or irregularity of the methods by which
Presidents are inaugurated. In the present case the
Government waits before recognizing General Diaz as
the President of Mexico, until it shall be assured that his
election is approved by the Mexican people, and that his
administration is possessed of stability to endure and a
disposition to comply with the rules of international
comity and the obligations of treaties. Such recognition,
if accorded, would imply something more than a mere
formal assent. It would imply a belief that the Govern-
ment so recognized will faithfully execute its duties and
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The Story of Samoa 437
observe the spirit of its treaties. The recognition of a
President in Mexico by the United States has an important
moral influence which is appredated at the capital of that
Republic, '*
The recognition of President Diaz was therefore de-
ferred for some months, and meanwhile he gave assurance
that the treaty obligations of Mexico to the United States
would be faithfully observed by him. The Mexican
people also sanctioned his choice by a regular election.
He then entered upon that long career of over thirty
years, in which, by successive elections, he remained the
ruler of Mexico, with the consent of his people, maintain-
ing her peace, developing her resources, and adding to her
prosperity.
1877.
The Story of Samoa. One morning in 1877, while
sitting at my desk in the Department of State, I was
informed that two gentlemen *'from some Pacific Islands'*
desired to see me. On entering, they introduced them-
sdves. One was an American merchant, who had been
engaged in business at Apia Harbour. The other was a
tall, fine-looking, swarthy-complexioned man, in ordinary
American dress, who proved to be the Secretary of State
and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Samoan Islands.
He spoke English easily and fluently, but with some
quaint idioms that seemed to render it more impressive.
When I asked how he had learned it, he told me that he
was taught by the missionaries. Schools and text-books
not being available, his chief book for study of the lan-
guage had been the Bible.
His credentials proved to be all in proper form, and as
the business which brought him to Washington was so
important it had been deemed wise that he should come
on himself, instead of entrusting it to any diplomatic or
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438 The Story of Samoa
consular representative, I duly presented him to the
Secretary of State, Mr. Evarts, and to President Hayes,
and I was authorized to discuss matters with him on the
part of our Government.
With the increase of intercourse and trade, the Samoan
Islanders had perceived that they might become the
object of some intrigue, or perhaps fall under the sway of
some one of the maritime powers of Europe, whom they
would be powerless to resist. Doubtful of their ability to
maintain peaceful and stable existence, they wished the
United States to recognize and protect their independence,
to establish conmiercial relations with their people, and
to assist them in their steps toward regulated and re-
sponsible government.
In short, his mission was nothing less than to ask that
they might come under the flag of the United States, and
become a part of our extended dominion, either by formal
annexation or under a protectorate, in such form as the
American Government might prefer.
Having seen Pacific islands, one after another, eagerly
seized upon by some Eiuropean power, and having no wish
to become subjects of any such power, they had decided
to offer their islands to the United States. Of course
they hardly anticipated that there would be any hesita-
tion on our part in accepting such an offer.
I explained that, while the American people had in
former years been willing and desirous of extending their
national domain on the continent, yet there had now
come a decided change in public opinion. Extension of
the national boundaries was now looked upon with dis-
favour.
Especially was there a strong opposition to the acqui-
sition of any islands, near or remote, inhabited by any race
but our own. The proposed treaties for naval harbours
in the West Indies, and for the acquisition of St. Thomas,
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The Story of Samoa 439
Santa Cruz, and Santo Domingo, had been shelved or
summarily rejected. Even the Panama Canal had been
allowed to pass into the hands of a European power; and
the purchase of Alaska was still a subject of reproach and
ridicule, and pronounced a gigantic folly-
Having had a hand myself in the negotiation of these
treaties, I cotdd foresee the difficulties in the way of the
mission he had tmdertaken. Of course I beUeved this
dread of national expansion was a passing phase and an
unreasonable and unnatural one. But, while it lasted, it
had to be reckoned with.
The Samoan proposals were laid before Secretary
Evarts, and by him laid before the President and Cabinet.
Both President Hayes and Mr. Evarts believed that my
father's policy in this regard had been wise and judicious.
But they saw also that it would now encounter the same
opposition that it had during the administration of Presi-
dent Johnson and subsequently under that of President
Grant.
The Navy Department warmly favoured the Samoan
proposition, as it had always desired the establishment
of naval outposts in the Pacific. In fact, tentative steps
had already been taken by naval officers for obtaining a
port in the Islands for coaling and repairs.
The leading members of the Foreign Affairs Committees
in Congress, and the leading Republicans in both Houses
were sounded. There were differences of opinion among
them, but practically all were agreed that the times were
inauspicious for the consideration of any such project.
The Senate would not consent to any treaty that involved
expense or obligation, and the House, in which there was
an anti- Administration majority, would vote it down as a
matter of course. It seemed to be considered a mark of
patriotism to oppose any addition to our own country.
The Samoan Envoy listened gravely and sadly to the
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440 The Story of Samoa
recital of these adverse conditions. Finally, he said that
I might draw up the treaty in any form I thought best,
and he believed his people would agree. They wotdd give
us their best harbour, that of Pago-Pago, which fortu-
nately was as yet unoccupied, and in return wotdd ask
nothing, except our assurances of peace and friendship.
I drafted a treaty, and then another and yet another,
endeavouring to meet the various Congressional and
popular objections. It seemed as if the Senate might be
induced to consent to the acceptance of a harbour, provided
the country was not to pay anything for it, or even to
agree to protect or defend it.
So, at last, the treaty was put into that form. Even the
phrases tendering our good offices in case of disputes
with other powers were objected to, but were finally
allowed to stand. The treaty was signed and sealed by
the Secretary and Mr. Mamea, the Samoan Envoy. It
was sent to the Senate, and in due time was confirmed.
The press and the public seemed to regard the matter
with indifference, and the House refused any appropria-
tion for a coal yard for Pago-Pago, which remained
deserted and unused.
The Diplomatic Corps of course took note of the
Samoan affair. Some of them were amused and others
puzzled by it. For a nation of * * landgrabbers " as we were
called in Europe, we seemed to be very slow and reluctant
to take steps for our own aggrandizement.
When I mentioned to the British Minister, Sir Edward
Thornton, that the Samoans might perhaps ask Queen
Victoria for a protectorate, in case their negotiations with
us should fail, he smiled and said, "Well, I suppose we
should take them, but I do not think we should care to
enter into any quarrel about it. "
A few months later, Dr. von Schlozer, the German
Minister, came into my room in very cheerftd mood.
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A Night Move against a Mob 441
"Aha!" said he, "Also we have a harbour in Samoa.
Not the best — ^no, you have the best. You have Pago-
Pago. But we have the next best. "
"What one have you, mein Herr?"
"Apia — ^Apia Harbour. It is a good harbour. It is
where the people are, and the trade. We shall use our
harbour now. You do not use yours — no. But you will,
some day. Some day, you will. "
And in so saying the cheery Envoy proved himself a
prophet.
A Night Move against a Mob. It was in the summer of
1877. Washington was sweltering in the heats of July.
The dry and dusty streets were deserted by all who were
not obliged to face the blazing sunshine. Congress and
the Courts were gone. Officers of the Departments were
having their usual summer vacations. President Hayes
was living out at the Soldiers' Home. The Secretary of
State, Mr. Evarts, was up at his coimtry place, at Windsor,
Vermont, and I, as Acting Secretary, was in charge of the
Department of State. The Secretary of War, Mr. Mc-
Creery, was out in Iowa, and the Adjutant-General was
in charge of the War Department.
Four o'clock in the afternoon was at hand, and the
clerks were putting up their papers and locking up their
desks, — ^when a messenger came over from the War
Department. Sudden and disquieting news was coming
in by telegraph, requiring immediate conference between
the Acting Secretaries of State and War.
The conference was held at once ; and we found ourselves
confronted with a serious situation. There had been some
weeks of raihoad troubles, growing out of the business
depression, and augmented by the lack of harmony
between their managers, a war of rates, and hasty and
sweeping reduction of wages. Strikes and riots had re-
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442 A Night Move against a Mob
suited, beginning in Maryland, and spreading to Penn*
sylvania.
Now had come information that the troubles had cul-
minated in riots o grave proportions in Pittsburg.
Merchants, mechanics, the local press, and many citizens,
having their own reasons for discontent, had, at the outset,
largely given their sympathies to the strikers. But they
speedily found they were rousing a power they could not
control. Crowds of the imemployed thronged to the
scene of disturbance "to aid the strikers." Thieves,
criminals, and lawless outcasts saw their opportunity to
pursue their nefarious plundering, while posing as "friends
of the working man," and loudly proclaiming a "war of
Labour against Capital. " A hundred thousand men were
said to be involved in it.. Trains were stopped. Business
was paralysed. Riot, arson, murder, and pillage had begun.
Affairs in Pittsburg were rapidly assuming the shape of
anarchy. The police were inadequate. The civil authori-
ties were powerless. The State soldiery were more or less
disaffected, ixiany of them fraternizing with the rioters.
Peaceable citizens were helpless. The Governor was out
of the State travelling at the West. His Adjutant-General
was sending militia from Philadelphia, but it was said
they would be overborne, or join the mob. As one of the
organs of the strike sympathizers exultingly declared,
"The Lexington of the Labour Conflict is at hand!"
The Governor, hastening homeward, had telegraphed
to Washington for aid from the General Government.
No other power could stop the destruction of life and
property at Pittsburg but "Uncle Sam." And "Unde
Sam's" hands were tied!
The promoters of the "Labour War" had laid their
plans with shrewdness and cunning. They had taken
advantage of the political situation. Congress had ad-
journed in March without passing the Army Appropria-
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A Night Move against a Mob 443
tion bill, — so the soldiers would be left without pay.
Furthermore, the stringent legislation adopted at the
instance of the Southern States had provided that no
United States troops should be moved into any State
until after a formal request for them should be made by
the Governor, and not then until after the President had
issued his proclamation, calling upon the disorderly
elements to desist and return to their homes "within
twenty days." So it looked to the Pittsbiu-gers as if
their city was likely to be at the mercy of the rioters for at
least three weeks. And it looked so to the rioters too!
With the Federal troops kept out, the mob would have
full sway.
The General Government practically had no Army
available. There were no United States troops anywhere
within reach, that would be at all adequate to cope with
any formidable force. There were a few scattered garri*
sons at Carlisle Barracks, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and
elsewhere, from which squads or detachments might be
drawn. But that was all. And there was no time to
lose.
We summoned our clerks back to their desks, and
prepared for a night's work. The Acting Secretary of
War answered the Governor of Pennsylvania, by advising
him to make his formal request for troops at once, and
to make it by telegraph. He instructed the commanders
of the different garrisons to equip detachments, and hold
them in readiness to move at daybreak.
Meanwhile I sat down at my desk to prepare the neces-
sary Proclamation for the President to issue, and sent a
messenger out to the Soldiers* Home, to ask President
Hayes not to retire until it should come to him for his
signature. Then I sent over to "Newspaper Row," to
invite the correspondents of the leading journals to
assemble at the State Department at midnight, as there
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444 A Night Move against a Mob
would be important news, which their papers would desire
to put in their morning editions.
The whole military force that we could muster would be
but inconsiderable. But there was a potent moral in-
fluence on which we thought we could rely. That was
the latent patriotism of the people. Ever since the close
of our^Civil War, profound respect and even reverence
had been shown for the National flag and the National
authority. There was no one now, who would willingly
care to fire on the "Stars and Stripes, " or to lift his hand
in open conflict with the "Boys in Blue. " Even the mail
waggons of * * Uncle Sam " were not molested by the rioters.
So we determined that "Old Glory" should wave in
Pittsburg streets, even if borne there by only a corporal's
guard, and that the country should see whether it was
respected or defied.
Everything was done with dispatch. When midnight
arrived, our responses had all been received, and our
documents were ready. Our messenger had found the
President -reclining on his lounge, awaiting the proclama-
tion. He had read, approved, and signed it. The seal and
attestation were appended. The Governor's call for
troops had been received, acknowledged, and filed. The
commanders of the troops reported their men in readiness
to move at daybreak. The newspaper offices would hold
back their presses, if need be, for the proclamation. The
correspondents had assembled and had been furnished
with the copies prepared for them, and with information
of the "movements of troops. "
Next morning, at their breakfast tables, the people of
Washington, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Harris-
burg, and Pittsburg read in their newspapers the proclama-
tion of the President, and the news that the United States
Army was on its way to Pittsburg, and that its advance-
guard would reach there early in the day.
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Outcome of a Fugitive Slave Case 445
The leaders of the rioters now held their hturied con-
sultations. Only a few squads of United States soldiers
would arrive, but resistance of these involved a principle,
and would mean a struggle thenceforward with the whole
civil and military power of the United States. They
decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and
that rioters* proceedings should be postponed to a more
favourable time. Pittsburg subsided at once into the
qtiiet suitable to a stm:imer's morning in a loyal town,
even before the "advance-guard" arrived.
A day or two later, President and Cabinet reassembled
around the Cabinet council table at the White House and
took the situation in charge. General Hancock was
summoned to command, and authorized to use the whole
Division of the Atlantic to restore law and order. When
he arrived, with his little force of six hundred ''Regulars, "
they were as welcome in Pittsburg as the first regiments of
voltmteers had been in Washington in 1861. Peace pre-
vailed at once. Rioters dispersed, and criminals slunk
to their hiding places. Strikers returned to duty, and
business was resumed as usual.
1877.
The Outcome of a Fugitive Slave Case. Attorney-
General Devens came into my room one day and said,
* ' Do you remember the case of * Thomas Sims ' in Boston ? "
"Ctf course, " said I. "Wasn't that the one that stirred
Boston so greatly? When chains were said to have been
put around the State House and Faneuil Hall, and the
church bells tolled as for a funeral, while they were taking
the fugitive under military escort down to the wharf —
amid the execrations and curses of the mob?"
"Yes, " said he, "that was the one, and I was the mar-
shal of the United States Court at that time. Much as I
disliked the law, I considered it my official duty to execute
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446 Outcome of a Fugitive Slave Case
it, in spite of the resistance of the mob. I sent ' Sims* off
in charge of his owner. But I determined then to keep
track of him, and to see if I could not get him released
from slavery.
"I found the place where he was taken, and raised the
money to buy his freedom. When Mrs. Lydia Maria
Child proposed to raise a similar fund, I wrote her a let-
ter requesting her to return the sum she had collected
for that purpose and that she allow me the privilege of
paying the whole stun myself. But our efforts were
fruitless, and the owner refused the offer.
"Then the war came on and I went into it, as you may
remember, in *6i."
"Yes," said I, "you entered as a Major of Massachu-
setts Rifles and ended as a Major-General in command of a
Corps in '64, at Richmond,"
"Well," said he, "the war and the Emancipation Pro-
clamation liberated 'Sims' — and when you call to see me
at the Attorney-General's office, you will find V>im on
duty there, "
I did so and found the celebrated ex-slave smiling and
respectful, and highly pleased with his position tmder the
United States Government.
I told General Devens that my recollections went even
farther back than his — ^that I happened to be in the Senate
chamber when Senator Mason rose in his place, next to
John C. Calhoun, and read the provisions of the Fugitive
Slave Law that he was about to offer. They were so
drastic and vindictive, with pains and penalties, in
commanding every man and woman in the North to
become slave catchers, that I wondered at them.
I was then only a law student, and I wondered that a
grave Senator of the United States should not foresee that
such an enactment would goad people to frenzy, and
precipitate the very evils of distmion and civil war which
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The Yorktown Centennial 447
he professed to dread — ^for Mason, at that time, was not
an avowed disunionist. I was then an ardent Whig, but
three years later I saw the collapse of the Whig Party,
which, as a cynical critic remarked, ''died of an attempt
to swallow the Fugitive Slave Law. "
1879.
Country Life. When I retired from office in 1879, my
house in Washington was taken by the Swedish Govern-
ment for its Legation. The Swedish Minister, Count
Leuwenhaupt, was calling to see me.
*'And so you are expecting to go to live in the country,
Mr. Seward ? What will you do in the country ? "
" Oh, I don't know. Raise cabbages, probably. "
"Ah, yes, — ^that is the conventional phrase — raising
cabbages. It reminds me of our Queen of Sweden. One
day, she said to her ladies-in-waiting: *0h, I am so sick
and tired of these endless formalities and ceremonies of
Court life! I think sometimes I would like to go to live
in the country and raise cabbages.'
"But, your Majesty, " said one of the ladies, "is it not
sometimes lonesome, — this living in the country, and
raising cabbages?"
" *No, indeed, ' said the Queen; 'whoever has energy and
independence enough to go to live in the country and raise
cabbages, — can always find somebody to come and eat
them.'"
1881.
President Arthur and the Yorktown Centennial. Among
the long line of Sophomores, which we Freshmen were
eagerly scanning on our first morning in the College Chapel
at Schenectady in 1845, my attention was drawn to a tall
fine-looking young man directly opposite. On inquiring
who he was, I was told that he was Chester A. Arthur,
the son of a dergjrman. He had diligently prepared for
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448 The Yorktown Centennial
college, and had eked out his scanty funds for the purpose
by teaching school at the same time. We became ac-
quainted, and, having many tastes in common, became
members of the same college society.
Arthur was a popular class-man of pleasing address,
fond of a joke, but a creditable student, and was especially
active in college ** politics, " as we used to call our contests
for elections. Three years were spent together at Union.
He graduated in 1848, and then we drifted apart to differ-
ent places of residence. But I occasionally heard from
him, first as a law-student, then as a successftd lawyer in
New York, and then as the head of his firm. And always
as an active Republican.
One evening in i860, just before his inauguration,
Governor Morgan called at Mr. Weed's to consult him
about the composition of his Military Staff, and desired
to offer me a position on it. While I declined the honour
for myself, I was glad to perceive that he had on his list
the name of my former college friend, Arthur. He was
to be Quartermaster-General.
It was supposed that in time of peace this would be
merely an honorary appointment. But with the out-
break of the Civil War, soon afterwards, it became a
highly important position, and General Arthur's services
were invaluable in forwarding troops to the front, and in
providing for their needs.
After the war, when General Grant appointed Arthur
to be Collector of the Port of New York, the appointment
was generally regarded with favour. He occupied the
post for about six years.
It is needless to recount here the discords which sub-
sequently arose in the Republican Party, — the unsuccess-
ful attempt to renominate General Grant for a third time,
and the Compromise in 1880 by which Garfield was
nominated for President, with Arthur for Vice-President.
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The Yorktown Centennial 449
They were elected, but had only a brief tenure of office,
when the country was again horrified by the news of the
assassination of President Garfield, by a madman.
It was one of the ironies of fate that Arthur, always
desirous of honourable distinction in politics, should have
had the highest office in the land suddenly thrust upon
him by the hand of an assassin.
To a lady who came to greet him, soon after his acces-
sion, he replied: "No, madam, it is anything but a subject
of congratulation. It was a hideous crime that I would
have given worlds to prevent."
In 188 1, it was thought proper in Washington to cele-
brate the centennial anniversary of the Battle of York-
town, the last great victory by which the colonies had
assured their independence of Great Britain. Due pre-
parations were made. Naval vessels were ordered to
Chesapeake Bay. Troops were marched to the old
battlefield. Localities of the old siege guns used by
Washington and Lafayette were marked, and high offi-
cials of the Government were expected to take part in
the ceremonies.
It was pre-eminently fitting to invite the French
Government to participate in this celebration, as the
success of the Americans in the struggle and the victory
had so largely depended upon the aid given at that time
by their French allies.
The French Government heartily responded to Presi-
dent Garfield's invitation. It was announced that a
delegation had been appointed at Paris to proceed to
Yorktown. Among its members were several bearing
such well-known historic names as Lafayette and Rocham-
beau, De Grasse and Steuben,who were the descendants
of the illustrious heroes of the Revolution. General
Boulanger was named as the head of the delegation.
As the French delegates would doubtless sail by one of
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450 The Yorktown Centennial
the French liners, to New York, it was also suggested that
a Commission be appointed by the State of New York to
receive them on landing, and finally to speed them on their
way to Washington.
It seldom happens that elaborately arranged festivities
take place in the order intended, without some break or
casualty. The tragic note in life too often reasserts itself
at such times. While the European visitors were on their
way to the jojrftd occasion, the President who had invited
them was lying mortally wounded, on his death bed. The
Capitol, which had expected to greet them with a round of
balls and dinners, was plunged in deep grief, rendering the
idea of hilarity an tmsuitable mockery.
When we of the New York Conunission met, we were
confronted with this new and changed situation.
Among our members were John A. King, John Austin
Stevens, Colonel William Jay, General James B. Vamum,
General Francis Barlow, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Robert R.
Livingston, W. W. Astor, and Lispenard Stewart.
An tmofficial message from the Secretary of State at
Washington was received, intimating that the longer the
stay of the French delegates in New York cotdd be pro-
tracted, the greater would be the relief experienced at
Washington, in this unexpected season of gloom. Accord-
ii^gly* we did our best to make their visit an enjoyable
one. A handsome suite of apartments was prepared for
them at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, and various projects
for their entertainment were planned that would occupy
two or three weeks. Fortunately there was no lack of
co-operation in these efforts on the part of State and
City authorities, local organizations and societies, and the
general public. "The Spirit of '76" was again aroused.
Revolutionary and patriotic emblems and pictures and
traditions and memories were the fashion of the hour.
The Commission went down in a body to welcome the
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The Yorktown Centennial 451
French visitors when the steamer Canada bearing them
was telegraphed. A steamboat took us out to meet her,
and her progress up the bay was greeted by salutes,
displays of the Tricolotu* with the Stars and Stripes, and
complimentary addresses of welcome.
At the Battery the Seventh Regiment was drawn up in
line to escort their carriages up Broadway to the hotel
amid the cheering crowd. Visitors, of course thronged
there to greet them.
A day or two later, Governor Cornell ordered a review
of the First Division of the National Guard, which they
witnessed from a stand erected near the Worth Monu-
ment. A notable feature of this review was the fact that
the regiments were drawn up in alternate cross streets, so
as to fall into line in due succession. As each regiment
had its band, the discord between these would have been
bewildering, but for the happy idea that all should play
the Marseillaise at the same time.
On another day we invited our guests to make an excur-
sion to West Point. Two frigates were furnished by the
Government, the Vandalia and the Kearsarge, of which the
nominal commands were given to John A. King and my-
self respectively. The day was a fine one and we pointed
out to our guests the various historic localities on the way.
In Haverstraw Bay we gave them a collation, and at the
close of it called them up on deck to show them the
"King's Ferry." This, I told them, marked the real
beginning of the Yorktown campaign, since it was at this
point the French and American armies joined forces, and
crossed the river, prior to beginning their march through
New Jersey, Peimsylvania, and Maryland, toward York-
town. At General Hancock's suggestion the engine was
stopped, and the National Anthems of France and America
were played, as we drifted by the ancient ferry. At West
Point they were welcomed by General Howard, who was
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45^ The Yorktown Centennial
then in command there. A review of the Cadets was
followed by evening festivities.
Next in order was a trip to Niagara Palls. The Vander-
bilts furnished a well appointed private car for the
French guests, which waited there for them and brought
them back after two or three days' sojourn. Part of the
Commission accompanied them.
The others remained in town in order to welcome Baron
Steuben, who was coming on the German steamer, with
other German oflBcers. They were duly installed at the
hotel. A dinner to them was followed by a review at
Union Square of the various German organizations. In
;his Mayor Grace took part. The societies numbered
several thousand, and some of the German regiments were
bearing the tattered flags of the Civil War.
By the time the French delegation had rettimed from
Niagara, preparations were well under way for the great
ball which was to close the series of entertainments in
New York. Needless to say that this was brilliant and
well attended. So also was the banquet given by the
Chamber of Conunerce.
Meanwhile the Washington preparations for the cele-
bration at Yorktown were making progress. But now
arose a new complication, or the expectation of one. The
whole Diplomatic Corps were of course to be invited to
attend. But would the British consider it any courtesy
to be invited to attend ceremonies based on the discom-
fiture of their own nation ? Would they not rather be left
out? Or would they consider it a slight to be left out on
such an occasion? The Secretary of State thought this
was a time for a private diplomatic interview with the
British Minister. He was politely asked whether he would
prefer to have an invitation or not for his legation. He
took it very good-humouredly. He said: "I suppose the
British were there, one hundred years ago, or you wotdd
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Taxation in New York 453
have had nothing to celebrate. Yes, if you will invite us,
we wiQ all come, and we will listen, or not listen, with such
equanimity as we can, to your recital of the misdeeds or
niisfortunes of our ancestors. "
Not to be outdone in cotirtesy or magnanimity was the
action of the President. After all the speeches had been
made and the ceremonies performed and concluded, Presi-
dent Arthur, from the desk of the flagship gave the order
for the British ensign to be raised to the mainmast and
saluted by every vessel of the fleet, saying: "In recogni-
tion of the friendly relations so long and so happily sub-
sisting between Great Britain and the United States, in
the trust and confidence of peace and goodwill between
the two countries, for all the centuries to come, and
especially as a mark of the profoimd respect entertained
by the American people for the illustrious sovereign and
gracious lady who sits upon the British throne."
So closed the Yorktown celebration.
Taxation in New York. Andrew H. Green was so long
prominent in the history and government of the city, and
so wise in administrative measures, that he had earned
the title in his later years of the "Father of Greater New
York."
My last interview with him was a year or two before his
tragic death. He was then, I think, about eighty-seven
years old, and, though stooping and emaciated, was alert
and active.
We talked of old times and people, of the many men, in
both parties, with whom he had been associated, — of the
vast improvements that had taken place, — of the careless
or corrupt methods of finance, — of the spasmodic attempts
at reform, — of the unrivalled advantages that the city
possessed, and above all of its marvellous growth.
A newspaper lay on the table before us, the whole of
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454 Taxation in New York
one of its broad pages being filled with the annual report
of some insurance or other Company.
"Tell me, Mr. Green, " I said, taking up that big paper,
"something which you can comprehend, but which I
confess I cannot. Here is this great corporation which,
by its report, shows it is well managed and profitable and
pays all its own expenses.
"Now, the city of New York is a corporation which has
vastly more property and more resources, in the way of
real estate, streets, franchises, docks and wharves, build-
ings, rents, licenses, powers and privileges, than any other
corporation possibly can have. And yet it cannot pay its
own expenses I It has to ask the individual taxpayer to go
down into his pockets, and take out of his personal earn-
ings a yearly contribution, in order to keep this gigantic
corporation on its feet. Why should not the city of New
York pay its own expenses? Why should the individual
taxpayer be called upon at all ? "
He looked keenly at me, as I spoke, and then said: "Mr.
Seward, you are right. The problem is one that I have
worked over many years. The city of New York has
given away more then enough to pay its expenses many
times over. But the citizens of New York don't see it.
Either because they are too careless, or too ignorant, or
too tmpatriotic, or don't care — ^whichever it is, the fact
remains they don't correct it, or don't want to. "
Here occurred an interruption.
A clerk touched his arm and said: "Mr. Green, those
Rapid Transit gentlemen are in session now, and they
want you to come around there this afternoon! What
shall I tell them?"
Mr. Green turned to me and said, "There is an instance
of what I was just raying. Yes! I will come round and
try to do my best to stop the waste, but I don't know
whether I can accomplish much. "
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Alaska Revisited. The Inland Passage 455
July, 1902.
Alaska ReyisitecL The Inland Passage. Here we are
once more in Alaska!
We are on board the steamer Spokane, and steaming
through the waters of the famous "Inland Passage."
Thirty-three years have passed since we were here before.
What are the changes that time has wrought ? Certainly,
the evergreen forests on the shores come down to the
water's edge just as they used to do. The "everlasting
hiUs" are the same. The distant ranges of snow-capped
motmtains have not changed in the least.
The first change that we notice is that a "solemn still-
ness" no longer "broods o'er the scene. " There are now
indications of the bustle of commerce. Propellers and
passenger steamers meet and salute us with steam whistles.
Some vessels are passing every hour. Buoys and beacons
show that the channel has been surveyed and is no longer
unknown. Our decks and spacious "observation room"
are occupied by our passengers eager to observe the
scenery of which they have heard so much.
We have cruised all day through the waters of British
Columbia, and have now traversed the "open water" of
Queen Charlotte Sound. Before us looms up the "Dixon
Entrance" admitting us again to the territory of the
United States. No especial landmark shows where the
botmdary is, but we gather on the hurricane deck, to
salute the flag and give it three cheers, in token that we
are once more in our own country.
Captain Lloyd notified us that if we have any letters to
mail there is an American post-office at Ketchikan where
we shall stop in the evening. This is another novelty.
There was neither post-office nor village here thirty-three
years ago. Several new buildings are pointed out as
"salmon canneries. "
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45^ Wrangel
Our P^issengers. Our party consists of eleven persons,
guests of our old friend Mr. Samuel R. Thayer. Mrs.
Seward, Miss Barnes, and I joined the others at Minnea-
polis. They were: Warner Miller and his daughter, Mr.
and Mrs. George W. Thayer of Rochester, Mr. Rufus H.
Thayer of Washington, Mr. Rodman and Mr. Bradstreet
of Minneapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Hill joined us at
Seattle. To Mr. James J. Hill's cotirtesy we are indebted
for the special car, which brought us over the Great North-
em Railroad.
* On board the Spokane there are about a hundred other
passengers from the East and from California — tourists,
pleasure seekers, and business men. It sounds odd to
have the latter speak glibly of different points in Alaska,
and down the Yukon Valley, to which they are bound.
When we recall that the whole territory was a vast im-
explored region only thirty-three years ago, it is diflficult
to realize that these towns and villages have a real exist-
ence.
WrangeL Here is Wrangel! **Port Wrangel" it used
to be, but there are no signs of the frowning guns that once
guarded "The Passage" at this point. Instead there is a
substantial dock and a neat village along the shore. We
land, and Mr. Thayer and I set out to explore the place.
Meeting a well-dressed man on the street, Mr. Thayer
inquires ''Are you a resident here? "
"Yes, " is the reply, "and have been for several years."
"What has become of the old Port?"
"It used to be out there, on the promontory, but the
Government abandoned it sometime ago, not needing it
any longer."
"And the Indian lodges, what became of them?"
"Oh! after the Port was abandoned, the Indians came
away too; they all moved into town. "
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Sitka 457
"Rather an unruly lot, weren't they?"
"Yes, but that was when they were uncivilized; they
are all good citizens now."
''What do they do?"
' ' They all have their various trades. The children go to
school, and they to church. Bible classes and Christian
Endeavour are favourite occupations with them now.
Some of them are very well to do. "
"Where do they live?"
"Oh, everywhere. That double cottage with a rose
vine over the door belongs to an Indian. That motor boat,
in the bay, belongs to another. "
Much enlightened, we restime our voyage.
Sitka* Sitka! This is indeed familiar ground. The
towering mountains, the magnificent harbour with its
clustering islands, are all that they used to be. We iden-
tify Mount Edgecumbe and others. But the town itself
has spread along the shore in both directions. And where
is the Indian village?
"That is it, along the north shore."
A row of neat white houses like those of a New Eng-
land village has taken the place of the old lodges and
wigwams.
We land, and proceed up the well remembered streets,
with the Greek Church at the head of one. We inquire for
Governor Brady's house. We find he is not at home, but
we make the acquaintance of Mrs. Brady and her sister.
The Governor is making his usual summer tour at the
north. The ladies invite us in, and then sally out with us,
to show us the changes that have come over Sitka in
thirty-three years.
The Baranoff Castle on the high rock is gone, and in
place of it stands a modem structure which we are told is
the Agricultural College. There are ntmierous churches.
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458 Sitka
Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Swedish, and others, with
industrial and other schools attached to nearly all of them.
A large edifice is the Museum, founded by Dr. Sheldon
Jackson, whom we are sorry not to see, as he is gone, like
the Governor, on a trip to the north connected with his
educational and missionary work.
In this Museum are many interesting carvings of the
Hydahs, implements and weapons of the Thlinkets, the
Kalosh, and the Chilkats, canoes of the several tribes,
baidarkas of the Esquimaux, and a reindeer sledge like
those of Lapland. It is fortunate that the Doctor had the
foresight to commence this collection while it is still
possible, for the Indian relics will be rapidly disappearing
with the progress of time. We could spend hours in this
Museum, if we had them, but our time is limited in Sitka
now.
Out in the streets again, we find some of the old Russian
houses, built of squared logs, are standing; but all the
new buildings are modem frame structures. There are
several tasteful cotmtry residences, which are occupied
by their owners or visitors from the south. Mrs. Brady
takes us out to a park, in the suburbs, which the authori-
ties have decorated with the tallest and most massive of
totem poles. We notice that the roads are straightened
and that there are no animals running in them, improve-
ments due, as Mrs. Brady tells us, to the efforts of the
Village Improvement Society.
On our way back, we come across the school children,
of whom there seem to be several himdred. They are
neatly dressed, and for the most part with air and com-
plexion like other school children in the northern States,
though occasionally the darker hue of some of them de-
notes their Esquimau or Indian parentage.
We stopped to converse with some of them, and to recall
some of the phrases of the Chinook jargon, which we took
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Sitka 459
some pains to learn several years ago, as it was then the
only mode of commnnication in vogue in the Territory.
The youngsters look at us with open eyes and shake their
heads. One of the missionary teachers laughingly says:
''They know good English, and do not know the Chinook
jargon, — some have not heard of it, and those who have,
consider it 'low down talk.' "
Pausing in front of a Russian house, I say: "This is Mr.
Dodge's house, where we spent a fortnight thirty-three
years ago. It is still standing, though I do not know its
present occupants. Let us consider it our ' old homestead '
in Sitka, and take a photograph of it and ourselves."
While engaged in this, several townspeople gather arotmd
us and I interrogate them : * ' Were any of you here, thirty-
three years ago? I want to see the oldest inhabitant."
But no one would own to such long residence. One man
says: "I came here twenty-eight years ago and I thought
I was the oldest inhabitant."
At the Greek Chturch we found everything looking as
of old, except that it was newly renovated, cleaned, and
repaired, which the custodian added was due to the Bishop
and the Government at St. Petersburg. He displayed with
pardonable pride the gorgeous vestments worn by the
dignitaries of the church.
He furthermore informed us that he claimed the dis-
tinction of having neither been bom nor naturalized in
the United States, but was nevertheless a citizen. He had
been transferred by the treaty of purchase of the Territory,
which contained a clause sajdng that any Russian who
chose to remain should thereby be considered entitled to
the privileges of American citizenship.
1 An hour or two was spent at the Governor's looking at a
collection of water-colour picttires of Alaskan localities,
and chatting over the changes and prospects of the Terri-
tory. We noted that the flowers that were brought us
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460 The Tredwell Mine
in profusion, from diflferent gardens, were much like those
of our own garden at home.
On our way to the steamer we found some of our fellow
passengers bargaining with a group of Indian women,
blanketed as of old, who were selling curios. Here were
neat and pretty little totem poles, canoes and carvings,
and weapons fresh and newly painted, but all of miniature
size, — ^in fact, convenient for packing in trunks or dress-
suit cases. Evidently these were for tourists, not for
Indian use. The story was told, but we do not vouch for
the truth of it, that the supply from Indian sources being
insufficient to meet the demand from travellers, an enter-
prising firm in Connecticut had taken the manufacture in
hand, and sent them on to Alaska for the Indians to sell.
Glaciers* The tossing cakes of ice around us this
morning are of a brilliant blue colour, a phenomenon that
no one seems able to explain. These are from the Taku
Glacier. We inquire if we shall see the Muir Glacier, The
captain says, "Yes, but not too near, as the falling masses
of ice sometimes make it dangerous for a vessel in the
vicinity. " But we get a fine view of it.
Then the much mooted question comes up: whether the
glaciers, on the whole, are receding or not? The general
opinion appears to be that some certainly have receded,
while others apparently have remained imchanged.
The Tredwell Mine. The steamer comes to a pause, in
the midst of a deafening din from the shore, at the next
landing. The captain shouts out that this is "Douglas
Island, " and that the noise we hear is made by the trip-
hammers of the "Tredwell Gold Mine. "
We debark to look at the machinery of the stamp mill
from a respectful distance. We are told that this is the
largest stamp mill in the world. Although the ore is of
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Skagway 461
low grade, the company is said to be satisfied if they can
get three or four dollars in gold from a ton. Yet some-
times it yields two or three times as much.
Already they have thus pulverized a considerable part
of one mountain. But there look to be plenty more
mountains of the same sort standing close at hand.
Juneatu " It is a pity that we shall get to Juneau in the
middle of the night," say we. But the middle of the
night turns out not to be dark, or even dusk, in Alaska
at this season. As the steamer makes the landing at
eleven o'clock, the town is revealed to us in very good
daylight; the townspeople muster on the wharf to inquire
for news, or to greet friends.
We, the passengers, are equally eager to see the town.
So we proceed up the street, and find places of business
open, and people going to and fro as if it were noon instead
of midnight. We ramble through various streets, one of
which we are informed is ''Seward Street," and some of
which seem to be built on piers or piles in the water.
This is a growing town, and its transition state is some-
what bewildering to the observer. All of the buildings are
frame edifices, and some of them have been very hastily
erected. The townspeople, however, have great expecta-
tions, and high hopes. They say that here was the first
discovery of gold. They confidently look forward to its
becoming the capital of the Territory.
Skagway* Skagway is the vltima thule of our navigable
voyage. As we approach it up the broad reaches of the
Lynn Channel, we see its long piers pushing out into the
water. Signs of business activity on them prove it to be a
commercial port of importance.
Here begins the White Pass Railroad, the first in the
Territory. We land and walk up the street and find the
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462 The White Pass Railroad
rails laid in the centre of it. Freight and passenger cars
are standing on the track.
We recall how within ottr own remembrance there was
no trail over the mountains and into the wilderness.
Klakautch, the Chilkat Chief, was then asked about it,
and we learned from him that there were Indians on the
other side of the mountains, who held intercourse and
tra£Sc in furs with the Chilkats, but who were not allowed
to come down to the coast. He made a map of the trail
in Indian fashion, on a bearskin, indicating the trail by
two rows of footprints running over the mountain.
"Is Klakautch still living? " is inquired.
"No," is the answer, "but his family are well known,
and his son has a position in the Custom House, yonder.'*
The White Pftss Railroad. Was there ever such a daring
piece of engineering as this White Pass Railroad ? Begin*
ning on the level of the street, and nmning smoothly for a
mile or two, it gradually climbs the side of the mountain.
Then it speeds toward precipitous cliffs, around dizzy
curves, and on the edge of unfathomable abysses, until
you imagine the train cannot possibly find a foothold
among the jagged rocks that beset it on every side. The
train comes to a sudden stop in the midst of this chaotic
scene. We are looking where to jump and wondering
whether there is anything to jump on, when the conductor
blandly informs us, "It is all right. We always stop here,
in order to give the ladies an opportunity to take a snap-
shot with their cameras. "
Restuning otu: tortuous course and steadily going on, and
up, at last we reach a level plateau, and are told this is the
summit of the Pass. It is also the boundary line between
Alaska and British America. Two little custom houses,
one for Great Britain and one for the United States, mark
the f rontier, each surmounted by its national flag.
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The Alaska Boundary Dispute 463
Looking off toward the north, we see the ranges of
xaountains gradtially diminishing in height, until the valley
of the Yukon is reached. Some of our passengers who have
business at Dawson, or are expecting to take one of the
steamboats down the Yukon River, now continue on the
railway. We go back on our train, and on the way Mr.
Brackett points out the old wagon road, which was made
at great trouble and expense, in the time of the first rush
of miners and prospectors. Now it is abandoned and
sujperseded by the railroad. The railroad is said to be
highly prosperous, having now a practical monopoly of the
traffic to and from the gold region.
The Alaska Boundary Dispute. If it be true that the
Americans for many years remained singularly incredulous
and indifferent to the value of the great Territory that we
purchased from Russia in 1867, it cannot be said that our
Canadian neighbours have shared in that feeling. From
the first, they have shown an appreciation of it, and once
or twice the restless and reckless element of their people
have manifested a covetous desire to get hold of a part of
it, and add it to the Canadian Dominion.
In 1902, when visiting Alaska, we found some of the
inhabitants of Skagway seriously alarmed lest they should
be practically "gobbled up" by the Canadians, who were
putting forward a claim to own their harbour and a con-
siderable slice of their Territory,
Returning home, I found that the movement had taken
such definite shape, that maps were prepared and spread
abroad from Ottawa, by which it appeared that we not
only had no claim to Skagway or Dyea, but that Canada
rightfully owned all of the mainland on the Lynn Canal,
and that our boundary only took in part of the islands of
the seal I wrote a letter to the Tribune, calling public
attention to the fact, as follows:
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464 The Alaska Boundary Dispute
"a menace from CANADA
** Mr. Seward Believes that the Alaskan Boundary Dispute
Endangers International Good Feeling.
"Very few people either in England or the United
States seem to comprehend the 'true inwardness' of the
so-called 'Alaska Boundary Dispute.' That is unfortunate,
for it contains the germ of a grave national danger. The
average newspaper reader supposes it to be a dispute over
a few acres or square miles of wild land, perhaps frozen, on
either side of an imaginary line. But it is not a boundary
dispute of that sort. The boundary was established years
ago by treaties in which both nations took part. What the
Canadian schemers are pushing for now is 'an outlet to
tidewater ' by means of a harbour on the Lynn Canal.
"What is the Lynn Canal? It is a great estuary, broad
and deep, like the lower Hudson or the Delaware. It
traverses Southern Alaska and is the chief artery of com-
merce. It is the thoroughfare by which all traders, miners
and travellers reach the valley of the Yukon, tmless they
make a two-thousand-mile voyage around by the ocean.
"What is the harbour that the Canadian schemers
covet ? It is one of the most important strategic points on
our Pacific Coast. It is a deep, wide, semicircular basin,
safe in all weathers, open to navigation all the year rotmd,
with easy access to the sea, large enough to float not only
trading craft, but the cruisers and battleships of the
British navy. It is surrounded by mountain heights which,
when fortified, would render it impregnable. In a word,
what they want is to establish a naval and commercial
port for Great Britain, resembling Gibraltar or Aden — and
to establish it in the heart of an American Territory, at
the head of its inland navigation! The power owning
such a stronghold might well claim to dominate the North
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The Alaska Boundary Dispute 465
Pacific. It would cut Alaska Territory in two parts, with
British forts and custom houses between, controlling their
intercourse with each other and with the outside world.
Compared with such a stronghold Esquimault or Halifax
is of minor consequence. That port is the objective point
that Canadian schemers are working for. That is what
they hope to extort from us by threats or cajolery. They
know what they are about; apparently we do not; at least
they hope so. So they muddle the question with specious
pretences of harmless purpose, by which to 'outwit the
Yankees.'
"When this monstrous demand, without a shadow of
foundation, was first put forward it brought to a sudden
check the work of the Joint High Commission to settle
questions between Canada and the United States. If
persisted in it will do more than that. It will tend to
break up the present era of good feeling between the two
branches of the English-speaking race — an era so full of
promise for both nations and for the whole civilized world.
"The whole 'claim' is so preposterous and absurd that
it would hardly be credible if we did not know how silly
and blind to their own interests great governments may
sometimes be. The Canadian 'statesmen' who are press-
ing it are blind leaders of the blind. They are like children
playing with fire. They do not realize the far-reaching
consequences of the conflagration they are trying to kindle.
For it is not to be believed that the American people,
when roused to an understanding of the question, are
ever going to acquiesce in the construction of a Gibraltar
in their own waters by any foreign power. American
patience is great and American good nature is proverbial,
but even these have limits.
"Frederick W. Seward.
''Montrose-on-HudsQn, >
November, 1902."
30
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466 The Alaska Boundary Dispute
This letter was widely copied and oonunented upon,
especially in the northwestern States. Soon the subject
became one of general discussion by the press. Ulti-
mately it became a topic of debate in Congress. Both
Governments perceived that it would be necessary to take
action in regard to it.
A semi-official answer was published by the Government
at Ottawa, arguing that, as there were conflicting claims
between Great Britain and the United States, the subject
would be a proper one for arbitration. To this I prepared
an equally elaborate reply.
The Tribune said: "Three noteworthy contributions
to the Alaska boundary discussion have recently appeared
in our columns. These were a brief statement of the
American case by Mr. Frederick W. Seward, a reply by
Mr. F. C. T. O'Hara, and a rejoinder by Mr. Seward.
These letters were weighty with authority, for Mr.
Seward, the son and official aide of the Secretary of State
who negotiated the Alaska purchase, is a past master of
the American side of the controversy, while Mr. O'Hara, as
Secretary to a Canadian Cabinet officer, may be supposed
to be an adequate exponent of the Canadian side. Between
the two, our readers will doubtless have judged for them-
selves. That the decision of the vast majority of Ameri-
cans is on Mr. Seward's side, is beyond doubt. "
Frequent conferences were now held between Secretary
Hay and the British Minister at Washington. The final
outcome of their deliberations was the agreement to hold a
"Joint Alaska Boundary Conunission" during the coming
season.
The Commission was duly held — its official title was,
"The Alaskan Boundary Tribtmal. " Six members com-
posed it, three for each side. The American members
were ex-Secretary Elihu Root, and Senators Henry Cabot
Lodge and George Turner. Two Canadians, Sir Louis
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The Alaska Boundary Dispute 467
Amale Jette, Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, and Allen
Bristol Aylesworth, one of his Majesty's Counsel. The
British Government reserved to itself the right to appoint
the third member, and it selected for that place Lord
Alverstone, Lord Chief Justice of England, a jurist of such
wide experience and unimpeachable integrity that it was
felt no one could question his impartiality.
The sessions were held in 1903. The case for the United
States was very elaborately prepared by Mr. John W.
Poster, ex-Secretary of State, and the chief argument for
it was presented by Elihu Root.
When the Tribtmal rendered its decision, in October,
Lord Alverstone took the same ground as the Americans,
that the true boundary was that laid down in the Treaty
of Purchase in 1867. The two Canadian members adhered
to their claim, but the decision of the majority of four to
two was in favour of the American side.
Perhaps my comment on the decision may have interest
enough to warrant its insertion here:
"the ALASKAN DEaSION
" P, W. Seward Says Both Nations are to be Congratulated.
"Both nations have reason for congratulation.
"The Americans are to be congratulated that their title
is reaffirmed and no longer disputed as to the region which
they bought from Russia, and which has been held and
occupied by them and the Russians before them ever
since the day of its first discovery.
"The British are to be congratulated that they did not
win their contention, nor even stubbornly insist upon it
to the point of a 'deadlock.' Their wisdom, tact, and
statesmanship were manifested through the Lord Chief
Justice, though his two Canadian associates seem to have
been unable to follow him. To have obtained possession
of a harbour and town btiilt, owned, and occupied by
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468 The Alaska Boundary Dispute
Americans for thirty years would have been to England
a most unprofitable victory. Skagway would then have
been between Great Britain and the United States what
Strassburg has been between France and Germany, a
perpetually rankling thorn. It would have put an end to
that international friendship on which both nations are
building such high hopes.
I "It was natural, perhaps, that the provincial ambition
of the Canadians should have been captivated by the
fancy of getting one of our harbours for their outlet from
Klondike to the sea, and, perhaps, natural that they
should be blind to the consequences of their own project.
But the idea was largely a fanciful one.
"During long centuries it has been the habit of nations
to hold on to whatever they could grasp by fair means or
foul until compelled to disgorge by force or the fear of it.
It has been reserved for two nations which are but two
branches of one great race to lift international dealing to a
higher plane and to seek to decide questions in accordance
with justice and equity, regardless of national sentiment
or prejudice. We have proved it thrice. In the Trent
case, the Alabama Qaims case, and now in the Alaska
Boundary case, we have shown that we can afford to relin-
quish to each other anything not justly belonging to us,
'whether prisoners, land, or money. Two nations actuated
by this disposition, and ready to carry it into practical
effect, can hardly be dragged into war, since they them-
selves are their own high court of equity. The Alaska
Boundary decision seems, therefore, a guarantee of per-
petual peace between Great Britain and the United States,
and that is a step onward in the march of progress and
civilization worthy of the opening of the twentieth century.
"Frederick W. Seward.
** Montrofle-on-Httdson,
October 21, 1903."
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Hudson Centennial Celebrations 469
Hudson Centennial Celebrations. When one hun-
dred years had elapsed after Hudson's discovery of
the river, the people of the province of New York
did not hold any celebration. They were too much
absorbed in their own doings and those of their Colonial
Governors, to bestow much thought on those of Henry
Hudson.
But when a second century had rolled by, New York
had become an independent State and a part of the
Federal Union. Then the anniversary of the discovery was
deemed worthy of celebration. Under the auspices of
the then newly organized Historical Society, orations were
delivered at the City Hall, a banquet followed at the City
Hotel, at which Governor Tompkins presided and Mayor
DeWitt Clinton was an invited guest. Especial stress was
laid upon the fact that to Henry Hudson they also owed
the best dishes of the feast, — ^the oysters and fish that he
discovered in the river, the wild ducks and pigeons that
he found flying over it, and the Indian com and "succo-
tash" that he found growing on its banks.
Simeon DeWitt, who was then Surveyor-General,
proposed the toast:
"May otir successors, a century hence, celebrate the
same great event, which we this day commemorate. "
When Simeon De Witt offered that toast, he was a true
prophet. But his foresight did not extend as far as to
know that the next aimiversary would be a double one,
and that the hero who would divide its honours with
Henry Hudson would be the young artist-inventor, Robert
Pulton, who married the niece of his friend Chancellor
Livingston, and who had just devised a new-fangled craft
to go without oars or sails, but belching fire and smoke!
Indeed, it was one of the jests at the dinner table, that a
frightened farmer, looking over the edge of the PaUsades,
was asked what it was that he saw. He said he did not
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470 Hudson Centennial Celebrations
know, but he believed "it was the Devil on his way to
Albany, on a saw-mill!"
When the next hundred years had rolled away, the tri-
centennial "Hudson-Fulton Celebration" of 1909 occurred.
There is no need to relate here who organized and con-
ducted it, or to recount its sayings and doings. Are they
not all fully and faithfully set down, recorded, and illus-
trated in the two large volumes of the Report to the
Legislature, prepared by Dr. Edward Hagaman Hall, the
Assistant Secretary of the Commission? Suffice it to say
that the celebration was a memorable one, a hundred and
sixty miles long, and sixteen days broad, — ^and that it was
worthy of the great events it commemorated. Many
thousands participated in it, and millions witnessed it
from the banks of the historic stream.
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EPILOGUE
Wstory and Memory. Napoleon at Saint Helena was
reading over a file of newspapers, just received by an
English ship.
"Las Cases, " said he, to his secretary, "we have always
supposed that history was the record of past events. I
perceive it is not so. It is only a compilation of the
statements given out concerning those events. "
This philosophic truth is worth bearing in mind, by
readers of history, and writers of it. But what then?
Oral tradition is discredited, because human memories
are deemed unreliable, tmless corroborated by some sort of
documentary evidence. If the documentary evidence
cannot be relied on, what can?
The simple fact seems to be this. Memory supplies us
with successive pictures of past scenes. Like the photo-
graph she aims to be exactly truthfxil, and, like the photo-
graph, her pictures are often more impressive than the
reality, because minor details and outside surroundings
are excluded. But that is Memory's limit. Of dates and
names she is proverbially careless, and her worst errors are
made when she tries to reconcile her own vivid impres-
sions with somebody else's hearsay testimony.
Let whoso would write or read reminiscences, govern
himself accordingly.
471
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INDEX
Abdul Aziz, 383
Abdul Medjid, 38a
Abolition, 69
Academy of Music at N. Y., 219
Academy of the Visitation, The, 81
Acapulco, 414
Acquia Creek, 229, 232, 266
Active, Steamship, 383
Aculzmgo, 417
Adams, Charles Francis, 69, 180
Adams, John Quincy, 56, 141, 142,
Adea, The port of, 300
J^op*s Fables, 32
Alabatna, The, 214, 250, 468
Alabama claims case, 468
Alameda, The, 411
Alaska, the story of, 356; expedition
to, 357; boundary disputes, 359;
Treaty of Purchase, 360; transfer
of, 364; the " Great Tyee" in, 383;
purchase of, 422, 439, 455; boun-
dary dispute, 463
Albany, journey to, 2; Governor's
Mansion at, 24; Evening Journal,
84, 93, 1 10; life in, 95; iLossuth in,
98; diplomats at, 237; capitd at,
430
Aleutia, ^64
Alexandria, Confederates at, 156;
the army near, 206; peace at, 229
Alice Vioian, The, 269
AJmy, Mrs., 330
Altamirano, SeAor, 413
Alverstone, Lord, 467
Alvord, Lieut.-Gov., 430
Amistad slaves, The, 81
Amoiv, Colonel, 51
Andre, Major, Huiging of, 8
Andrew. The case (H the negro, 113
Annapolis, 71st Regiment at, 159
Anticosti, Voyage to, 115, 120
Antietam, Victory at, 212
Antillon, Governor, 405
Apam, 415
Apia harbour, 437, 441
Arabia, Coffee of, 295
Arabian Nights, The, 288
Arago, The, 197
Archer, Sheriff, 49
Argus, The, 31
Arkasusas Post, Capture of, 21a
Army, Losses in the, 207
Army of the Potomac, at Richmond^
175, 206, 208, 212, 228, 237;
space occupied by the, 232; re«
organization of, 250
Army of Virginia, The, 206, 251
Arnold, Benedict, 8
Arroyo Sarco, 408
Arsenal Wharf, The, 228, 236
Arthur, President, 447, 449
Ashburton, Lord, 141
Asiatic Cipango, The, 302
Assassins, The, attack on Seward,
259; murder of Lincoln, 260;
capture c^ 261
Astor, W. W., A50
Atenquiqui, 306
Atlanta, The Ull of, 250
Atlantic cable. The, 142
Auburn, poumey from, 2; Henry
Clay visits, 22; railroad to, 35;
theatre at, 37; applicants lor
pardons at, 38; thejprison at, 40;
silk culture at, 43; Harding at, 54;
J. Q. Adams at, 56; Seward's cane»
145; diplomats at, 237; Chinese
Envoys at, 379; home at, 429
Augur, Genend, 250
Augustus, 246
Averill, General, 250
Aylesworth, A. B., 467
Aztec Calendar Stone, The, 410
Aztec' memorials, 410
Baez, President, 309
473
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474
Index
Bagot^ Sir Charles, as, 359
BahAiTMM, The, 282, 325
Bailey, Dr., 114
Baker, Edward D., 73
Baker, Mr., 369
Baker, Seward's Works, by, 172
Balluxek, Minister, 380
Baltimofe, mobs in, 155; the appeal
to, 206; retreat from, 249
Baltimore Pk>t, The, 134
Banana culture, 296
Banks, General, 175, 177, 243, 365
Baranoff Castle, 457
Baranoff, Governor, 358
Barbary Corsairs, The, 141, 220
Barbary Powers, The, 431
Barlow, Gen. Prands, 450
Barn-Burners, The, 90
Barnes, Miss, 456
Barnes, William, 99
Bamum's Circus, 37
Banon, Mr., 414
Batavia, Coffee at, 295
BatesL Attomey-Genend, 195
Beaufort, Evacuation of, 194
Beaumont, Capt. de, 115, 122
Bedford, Village of, 4; burning
ol, 6
Beecher, Henry Ward, 96
Behring Strait, The, 218
Belen Gate, The, 411
Belgium, 216
Belt John, 70, 75, 79, 80
Belle Plain, 266
BeUows, Dr., 104
Bement's Hotel, 2
Benedict, Colonel, 51
Benedict, Lewis, 26
Benton, Cotonel, 70, 77
Bering, Capt. ^^tus, 357
Bermuda Hundred. 250
Bermuda, Island of, 282
Berrien, 70, 79
Berthem^r, Mmister, 380
Bertinatti, Commander, 236, 422
Bethuxie, Dr., 96
Bible, The, 66
Bic, The Island of, 128
Bigebw, John, Diary of, 366
Biwop, Madame, 96
Black, Attorney-General, 142
Blackbeard's Qotle, 289
Blair, Montgomery, Postmaster-
General. 238, 245
Blatchford, R. M., 26, 54, 93, 160
Blatchford, Samuel, 26, 50
.Bkxkade, proclamation ol» 160;
trouble over the, 215; lifting t]ie»
252
Blondinat NiaganLi32
Bkx)d£Ood, Major William, 51
Blue Room, The, 322
Bodiaoo, Mr., ^3
Bolivar, Greetms to, 141
Booth, Escape of, 266
Border Ruffians, The, 91
Bossero, Luis G., 403, 420
Boston, Mason and SlideU in, 186
Boston Post Road, The, 5
Boulanger, General, 449
Bowen, Col. James, 26, 51
Bowliiu; Green, Occupation of. 194
Boyd, Linn, 71
Boyer, President, 322
Braddock's defeat, 11
Bradstreet, Mr., 456
Brady, Governor. 457
Brant, Pursuit of, 20
Brasilian Legation, The, 184
Breckinridge, General, 243, 245
Brice, James, 269
Britiiui Lection, The, 214
British, Seisures by the, 141
British sympathy for the Con-
federacy, 212
Brody,Dry297
" Brother Jonathan,'* The, 34
Brown, Albert J., 71
Brown, Captain, 375
Brown, John, capture of, 131;
portrait of, 322
Brown's Hotel, 377
Bruce, Sir Prederick, 257, 375, 380
Bryant, William C, 431
Buccaneers, The, 29^
Buchanan, campaign of, 91;
Secretary, 141; President, 142
Buddha, Statue of, 373
Buffalo, N. Y., Theatre, 36; Adams
at, 57; convention at, 69; har-
bour of, 237
Bulldog Affair, The, 270
Bull-fights,402
Bull Run, The battle of, x8i
Bulwer, Lady, 130
Bulwer, Sir Henry, 81, 130
Bumsses Corps, The, 51
Burke, Capt. Martin, 192
Burlingame, Anson, 151, 375, 380
Bumside, Gen., expedition of, 193;
Newbem captured by, 194: 212,
« 237» 2A3
Burt, Col. James C, 47
Butler, General, 159, 194, 250
Digiti
ized by Google
Index
475
Butler, John, 264
Butterfield, General, 161, 350
Cabral, General, 310, 350, 38a
Cadiz, Consul at, 220
Calderon, 382
Calhoun, John C, 141, 446;
speech by, 75; death of, 79;
son of, X04
California, admission of, 73, 77, 83;
acquisition of, 141
Cameron. Secretary, 163
Campbell, Lewis D., 71
Campbell, Rev. Dr., 56
Campeachy, 294
Canada, Steamer, 451
Canal debt. The, 27
Canandaigua, Adams at, 57
Cafiedo, Jacinto, 391, 403
Canning, Stratfoxd, 359
Canova, Statues by, 409
Cape Charles, 270
Cape Haytien, 269
Cape Henry, 270
Cape May, 230
Capdtol at Washington, 17, 68
Caribbean Sea, The, 279
Caribs, The, 279
Carlin, Portrait by, 28
Carlisle Barracks, 44^
Carlotta, Empress, jfia
Carnival of Venice, The, 97
Carrie Martin, The, 229, 232, 235
Carter, David A., 71
Carth^eoa, 294
Caxy, Unde, 2
Cass, General, 69; resignation of,
Cauarine , The case of, 40
Catherine, Empress, 357
Catinat, The yacht, 182
Cavour, Count, 90, 130, 382
Cayuea, Lake, 9, 237; Creek, 9;
bri^e, 22
Cayutlan, Lake, 391
Cazneau, Mr., 309, 313, 327
Cedar Creek, Victory at, 250
Celaya, ^06
Central America, Representative of,
237
Cerro de las Campanas, 407
Chaloo, Lake, 41 x
Chamber of Commerce, The, 452
Chambersbun:, 11
Chancellorsvule, Battle of, 238
Chandler, Captain, 347
Cbapak^ Lake, 397
Chapultepec, castle of, 409, 412;
battle of, 411
Charles, The negro, 2^
Charles II., ProdamatKxn of, 40X
Charles IV., 409
Charleston, nnng from, 151; ob-
structing harix>ur of, 215; sheUing
of, 243
Charlotte Amalia, Queen, 300
Chartres, Due de, 183
Chase, Salmon P., 1 13
Chase, Senator, 79
Chattahoochee, Johnston at, 250
Chattanooga, Rosecrans at, 243
Chew, Chief Qerk, 362
Chicago, 111., 108
Chih £ang; 376
Child, Lydia M., 446
Children, Society for Prevention of
Cruelty to, 431
Chilkat Indians, 458
Chilkat River, The, 383
China, indemnity from, 370;
enters diplomacy, 375; treaty
with, 578
Chinese labour, 335
Chinook jargon, 459
Chippewa, The battle of, 169
Chiquihuite Pass, 418
Cholula, Pvramid of, 4x6
Christian IX., King, 382
Christiania, Pa., 108
Christianstedt. 304
Christmas at Auburn, 3
Churubusco, Battle of, 4x1
Cigarettes, Manufacture of. 337
Cinco de Mayo, Holiday of, 416
Circo de Chiarini, The, 412
Circular Dispatch, The, 172
Circular on Militaiy Situation, 205,
Citizens' Corps, The, 51
City ofBalHmore, Steamer, X95
Civil War, Beginnings of the, X50,
157
Clarendon, Lord, 129
Clark, Lewis G., 25
Clarke, Charles E., 72
Clay, Cassius M., X58
Clay Compromise, 74, 82
Clay, Henry, 22, 44, 47, 70, 7X, 74.
82, 141
Qayton-Bulwer Treaty, The, 81
Clayton, Secretary, 80
Cleopatra, The, 420
Clinton, Governor, 24, 40, 53, 469
Clotikle, Princess, X62
Digiti
ized by Google
476
Index
Coast Survey, The, 384
CoaiMocoalco, The steamer, 163
Cobb, Howard, 71
Cobb, Howell, 72
Cochran, Paymaster, 269
Coffee-tree, The, 295, 296
Coffin, Captain, 123
Cold Harbour, Battle of, 250
Colima, State of, 391
Cologne^ Martyrs at, 302
Columbia, Pa., 107
Coltunbia, Slavery in District of,
Columbus, Christopher, 275, 277,
280,302,311,352
Columbus, Diego, 314, 352
Commanding genends, The, 238
Compi^eTvisitto, 132
Compromise Measures of 1850, The,
114
Conard, Agent, 316
Concerts in Albany, 96
Conducta, The, 418
Confederates, 156; troops for the,
1^3; blockade of, 160; Merder
with the, 183; deserted batteries
of, 196; power of the, 242; deser-
tions from the, 250
Congress, The, 203
Congressional Library, The, 83
Conklin^, Roscoe, 37, 108
Connecticut, Dinner in honour of,
93
Ccninul, Charles W., 71
Continental Army, The, 4
Continental Hotel in Philadelphia,
135
Contrabands, 202, 204, 233
Contreras, Battle of, 41 1
Cooperstown, A night at, 237 "
Copperheads, Elation of the, 206
Corbet, Mr., Visit to, 126
Cordova, Mexico, 418
Corinth, The army at, 204
Cornell, Governor, 451
Comwallis' headquarters, 232
Corona, Maximilian captured by,
407
Cortez, Conquest by, 411, 416
Corwin, 70
Cotton is Kingr 161
Couch, General, 238
Courier and Inquirer, The, 88
Cowboys, The marauders, 5
Cowley, Lord, 130
Cox, Mr., 145
Craft, William and Ellen, 108
Craney Island, 107
Crimean War, The, 90
Crispino e la Comare, 412
Crittenden, John J., 25, 47
Crittenden, Mr. and Mrs., 190
Crompond, Village of, 7
Cuba, Island of, 325
Cuervo, Governor, 402
Cueva, Governor^ 391
Cumberland, Ami^ at, 196
Cumberland, The, 203, 269
Curtis, George W., ^
Custom Houses, Treasury takes
possession of the, 256
Cutts, Captain, 324
DaboU's Arithmetic, 27
Dacotdh, The, 200
Daguerreotypes, 28
Dahlgren, Captain, 173, 195, 199
Dana, Chas. A., with the Tribune, 88
Dardanelles, The, 300
Davidson, Mr., 384
D'Avila, Zuylen, 382
Davis, General, 383, 385, 387
Davis, Honest John, 25, 70
Davis, Jefferson, 70; capture of, 261
Dawson, Geoige, 85, no
Day Point, Battexy at, 200
Davton, Minister, 70, 180, 216, 217
Debate, The great, 75
Decatur, AdmLial, 141
Declaration of txidependeoce, The»
DeGrasse, 449
Delancey's Horse, 5
Delavan house. The, 99
De Long, Judge, 220
Dempster concerts. The. 96
Denmark, sympathy 01, 217; St.
Thomas taken by, 298; praise of»
304
Dennison, Postmaster, 254
Derecho, Island of, 279
De Soto, The steamer, 263, 267, 269,
276, 306, 316, 342
Devens, General, 445
DeWitt, Simeon, 469
Diary or Notes on the War, 173
Diaz, President, 435
Dickerson, Governor, 18
Dickinson, Daniel S., 70, 79
Diego, Juan, Vision of, 411
Dimon, Mr., 368
Diplomatic Q)rps, The, 236
Disunionists, Efforts of, 147
Diven, Congressman, 208
Digiti
ized by Google
Index
477
Dix, Geneml, i66, 175, 233, 235
Dix, Governor, 177
Dix, John A., 160
Dix, Moivan, 33
"Doctor," The horse, 9, 13
Dodge, Mr., 459
Dan, The, 347
Don Quixote, 305
Douglas Island, 460
Douglas, "Little Giant," 70; Sena-
tor, 80; loyalty of, 155
Draft Riots m N. Y., 236
Draper, Simeon, 26, 54
Dred Scott decision, The, 91
Dulce, General, 332, 342
Dunscomb, Collector, 115
Durkee, Charles, 72
Early, General, 243, 244, 245, 250
Eclipse of the sun. An, 385
Edwards Ferry, 206
Elie, Minister, 321
Elizabeth, Princess, 357
Ellicott's Mills, Retreat to, 244
Ellis Bay, 122
Ellsworth, Oliver, 140
El Puente de Calderon, 404
El Valle de Andorra, 401
Emancipation Proclamation, 226
Emerence, The schooner, 115, 128
England, war with, id.i; anger in,
187; trouble averted with, 190
Episcopal Convention, The, 55
Ericsson, The, 197
Erie Canal, The, 36
Emani, Opera of, 400
Escobedo, 407
Eugenie, Empress, 128
European affairs in 1848, lOl
European plots, 148
Evarts, Secretary, 160, 433, 438, 439
Evening Journal, The Albany, 84,
no, 199
P Street home. The, 68
Palmottth, trip to, 229; ruins of,
231
Farragut, Admiral, 243, 250
" Father Abraham," song, 208
Fawn, The tame, 25, 38
Faxon, Mr., 195
Fifth Avenue Hotel, The, 450
Filhnore, Millard, 57; becomes
President, 82
Fisher, Mr., 102
Fisherman and the Genie, The, 288
Fishkill, Journey to, 7
Flagg, (
Floating Gardens, '
Florida, The, 214
Florida, Discovery of, 282
Foote, Commodore, 194
Ford's Theatre, Assassination ol
Lincoln at, 260
Forrest, The actor, 37
Fort Darling, 201
Fort Donelson, Victory of, 194
Fort Foote, 266
Fort Henry, Capture of, 193, 194
Fort Huger, Attack on, 200
Fort Macon, Evacuation of, 194
Fort McHenry, 175
Fort Pickens, 146, 150
Fort Stevens, 248; battle at, 249
Fort Sumter, 146; rdnforcement
of, 150; fall of, 254
Fort Tongass, 365
Fort Warren, 186, 192, 226
Fort Washington, 229, 265
Fort Wrangel, 456
Fortress Monroe, 197, 203, 233, 349
Fortress Monroe Conference, 434
Foster, John W., 436, 467'
Fountain of Youth, The, 281
Fox, Captain, 191, 19^
France, trouble witn, 140; ex-
planations from, 150; feeling in,
181; talk of intervention by, 215;
Emperor of, 414
Franas Joseph, Emperor, 131
Frankenstein, Bust by, 28
Franklin, General, 168, 197, 243
Franklin. Life of, 27
Franklin s battleground, 196
Frederick City, Meeting at, 176, 177
Frederick, King of Denmark, 382
Frederick, rebels in, 206; Hardieat,
239; invasion of, 243
Fredericksbuig, 195, 228; troops at,
231; battle of, 238
Frederikstedt, the Consul at, 297;
harbour of, 302
Freeman, artist, 31
ftee-Soil Party, The, 69, 102
Freestone, Batteries at, 266
Fr&nont, Colonel, 75^ 83
French and Indian War, 11
French delegates. The, 450
French Emperor's address, 216
French Empire, Fall of the, 185
French L^^ation, The, 184
French princes, the, 181; join
Union Army, 184; at Ctunberland,
197
Digiti
ized by Google
478
Index
Fugitive Slave Law of 1703, 113
Fugitive Slave Law, The, 74, 78,
83, 105. 114. 445
Fulton, Robert, 469
Gadsby's Hotel, 17
Caiaiea, The, 316, 333
Galena, The, 200, 235
Garcia, Don Joa6, 350
Garfield, President, Death ol, 448
Garibaldi, General, 90
Garita de San Cosmo, 409
Gasp6, Capt. CofiSn of, 135
Gassendi, The ^igate, 173, 203
Gautier, Captain, 203
Gavit, The en^ver, 28
Geffniid, President, 320, 326, 382
Geneva, 237
Geological Survey, The, 27
Geoige, King, 4, 20
George, negro, 433
Georgetown, 81
Geoigia Controversy, The, 27
Gennisux delegates, 452
Gerolt, Baron, 228, 233
Gettysburg, The, 347, 349
Gettysburg, Victory at, 2 16, 241 , 242
Ghent, Treaty of, 141
Gibraltar, 222, 300
Giddings, Joshua R., 71
Giesboro, Cruise to, 264
Gilbert, Dr., 233
GiUiss, Captain, 233
Gilmore, General, 243
Gloucester, Earthworks at, 196
Gloucester Point, 232
Gold in California, 70
Golden City, The, 390
Goldsboiough, Commodore, 195,
197
GonalvesL Bay of. 315, 325
Gonave, Island of, 315
Goodridh, Judge, 228
Gordon, ^35
GortschaJcoff, Minister, 218, 360,
Gosport Navy Yard, 234
Governor's Room, N. Y., 53
Grabow, Baron, 228
Grace, Mayor, ^52
Granger, in:ancis, 25, 57
Grant, General, at Vicksbuig, 212;
at Wilderness, 244; commander,
249; surrender to, 251 ; at Cabinet
meeting, 254; President, 355,
432, 439
Gray, artist, 54
Great Britain, A note to, 150
Great Northern Railway, 456
"Great Tjee," The, 383
Greeley, Horace, 45, 88
Green, Andrew H., 453
Greenbacks, 243
Greenfield, wSul, 96
Greenwood. Grace^ 104
Grinnell, Moses H., 26, 54, 160
Guadalajara, jo6. 399, 405, 420
Guadalupe Hidalgo, 141, 409, 411
Guanajuato, 405
Guatamosin Monument, 411
Guerrero, Mexico, 4x4
Gulf of Mexico, Operations in the,
243
Gwin, Dr., 75, 83
Hale, John P., 70, 79, 96, 102
Hall, Captain, 229
Hall, Dr. Edward H., 470
Halleck, General, 168, 205, 229
Hampton Roads, Fleet at, 195
Hampton, Ruins of, 233
Hancock, General, z66, 238, 445, 451
Hanseatic Cities, The, 236
Hard, son of Senator, 60
Hardie, General, 239
Harding, Chester, 54
Hards, The, 90
Hardy's Bluff, 200
Harper & Brothers, 27
Harpers Ferry, 11, 243 ; John Brown
at, Z31; attack on, 155
Harnsbuig, Pa., 11, 206
Harrison, General, campaign of,
44; death of, 48
Haissan Bedreddin, 400
Hatteras, Cape, 271, 354
Havana, Cuba, am^ at, 283;
Columbus at, 311; Morro Castle,
329; architecture of, 330; bright-
ness of, 332; Cathedral of, 333;
sugar at, 334; Chinese labour,
335; lottery at, 336; the Tacon
Theatre, 340
Haverstraw Bay, 451
Hawley, Seth C, 56
Hay, Drummond, 222
Hay, Secretary. 466
Hayes, Rutherford B., 431. 438, 439
Hayti, "La Isla Espafiola,^' ^02;
arrival at, 31^; U. S. Consulate
at, 316; architecture of, 317;
fertihty of, 320; President
Geffrard of. 320; (presidents of,
322; lack ot enterprise at, 324
Digiti
ized by Google
Index
479
lUytun Repablic, The, 270
Heart tf the Andes, The, 395
Hebanl, Engixieer, 260
Hetfitiielmftn, General, 205, 238
Helderbanack, Pint campaign of
the, 53
Helderbeig War, The, 27, 48
Henaon, Tosiah, 114
Herald, llie N. Y., 26, 88, 132
Hercules factoiy, The, A07
Herkimer, Adams at, 58
Hesse-Cassd, Prince ol, 20
Hessians, The, 20
Hewett, Captain, 199
Hicks, Governor, 176
Hidalgo, Pkdre, 404
Hidalro, Siege by, 405
Hien Fung, }82
Hill, James J., 4^
Hill, Samuel, 456
Hiniard, Henry W., 71
Hiogo, Japan, 372
Hispaniola, 352
Hits, Consul-General, 217
Hoffman, Ogden, 47
Holland, Alftxander, 60
HoUiday, Ben, 383
Holt, 166
Hooker, General, 166, 228, 229, 230,
238
Hospitals at Hampton, 233
Hotel de Almv, 330
Hotel de Angleterra, 339
Houston, G^ieral, 70
Howard, General, 238, 451
Howell, Conunander, 268
Huarte, Juan Pirmin, 392
Hudson Centennial, 469
Hudson. Henry, 469
Hudson's Bay Ccmipi
Hugo, N^ctor, 347
pany, 126, 359
Humboldt,
Hungarian Liberty Association, The,
98
Hungarian Republic, The dream of
a, 100
Hunt, Governor, 99
Hunter, Mr., 363, 369
Hunter, ^^^lliam, 70, 142, 195
Huntington, ^
Husted, Spckucer, 430
Hutcfainsons, The, 06
Hydah Indians, 458
Independence Hall, 138
Independent Artillery, 51
Indian Head, 266
Inland Passage, The, 383
Innum. Henry, 54
Ino, The warahip, 224
Intervention, Efforts at, 215
Irving. Washington, 20, 25, 26
IsabdU Sectmda, Queen, 382
Island No. 10, 104
Island of the HoW^ Saviour, 302
217
Ixtaodhuati, Mount, 411, 413, 417
, ackson, General, 18, 72, 141
^ ackson. Dr. Sheldon, 458
^ alisoo, Coast of, 390, 399
^ alos. City of , 404
. amaica. West Indies, 306
amaica, West indies, 306
James Battle, The, 269
James River, expedition up the,
200; the opening of, 201
Jamestown, Visit to, 201
apan, treaty with, 142; indemnity
of, 370; commission of, 371
Jay, CoL William, 450
Jefferson, Thomas, 188, 368: home
of, 17; first message of, 140;
proclamation by, 141
Jeffersonian, The, 88
Jenny, The fawn, 24, 38 "
Jerome Napoleon, Prince, 186
Jette, Sir Louis Amale, 467
^* John Bull," The, 34
John, Colonel, 19
^•Johnny Cook's Band," 29
Johnson, Andrew, 544, 355. 373,
439; becomes Presioent, 260
Johnson's Polar Bear Garden, 363
Johnson, William, 9, 13
Johnston, General, pursuit of, 250;
surrender of, 261
ioinville. Prince de, 183
ones, Sefior, 402
ones, Wharton, Suit by, x 13
uarez. President, 290, 391, 409,
Judd, Rev. Dr., 81
Julius Casar, 37
Juneau, 461
Kalosh Indians, The, 386, 458
Kamchatka, 357
Kames, Elements of Criticism, 65
Kane's Walk, 23, j^5
Kansas, Struggle m, 91
Kearsarge, The, 250, 451
Kenesaw Mountam, 250
Digiti
ized by Google
48o
Index
Kennedy, Mr., 340
Kent, Judge William, g6, 131
Keman, Senator Francis, 431
Ketchikan P. O., 455
Keyes, General, 232
Key West, 149, 300
Kidder, Dr., 269
Kilpatrick, General, 250
King, General Rufus, 26, 50, 232,
435
King, John A., 72, 166, 450, 451
King, Preston, 72
King's Perry, 451
King, Thomas B., 71, 73
Kirkpatrick, Thomas, 354
Klakautch, Chief, 462, 384
Klondike, The, 468
Know-Nothing Party. The, 90
Knoxville, Capture of, 243
Kossuth, Louis, Visit of, 89, 96, 98
Koszta case. The, 141
Kung, Prince, 375
Labour troubles, 442
Labrador, voyage to, 120; Mingan
in, 121; coast of Anticosti, 122;
Ellis Bay, 122; Hudson's Bay Co.,
Z26
La Cahafia de Tom, 412
La Calera, 392
La Canada, 411
La Cruz, Church of, 407
Lacy House, The, 231
Lafayette, Marquis, 141, 449
La Malinche, 417
Lamar^ 435
Lamb, Charles, 26
Lamon, Col. Ward H., 135
Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, 119
Lane, James H., 158
La Purissima factory, 407
Largos, Ignacio, 391
Las Cases, Secretary, 471
Las Cumbres, 417
La Serena mine, 406
Last Cabinet meeting, Lincoln's,
254
Laurtfer Horatius, 178
Lee, Admiral, Fleet of, 235
Lee, Gen. Robert £., 168; pursuit
of, 208; marching north, 239;
driven to Wilderness, 250;
surrender of, 251
Lesac^, Hugh S., 25, 47
Lehigh, The, 235
L'Enfant, Major, 140
Leon, Mexico, 404
Leon, Ponce de, 281
Leopold, King, 382
Lerdo de Tijada, Sefior, 409, 412,
415.436
Leutze, artist, 362
Leuwenhaupt, Count, 447
Lexington, Battle of, 5
I'Huys, Drouyn de, 129, 217, 420
Lincoln, Abraham, pumey to
Washinfi^ton, 134; address in
Philad^hia, 138; inauguratioa
of, 14^; office-seekers, 147; sugges-
tions by Seward, 14,^; prodama-
tion by, 152; praise by, z6o;
visits Gassendi, 174; deals with
Maryland, 178; dines Prince
Napoleon, 182; the Mason and
Slidell Case, 189; caU for 300,000
men, 205; farmers' boys In
battle, 206; the Emancipation
Proclamation, 226; oysters for,
233; visits to War Office, 243;
visit to Fort Stevens, 248; re-
election, 250; two proclama-
tions, 252; visits Richmond, 253;
last Cabinet meeting, 2^; a
strange dream, 255; invitation
to the theatre, 257; a
tion, 260; grief for Lincoln, 261 ;
funeral of, 261 ; portrait of, 32a
Lincoln, Robert, 135
"Lion," The horse, 9, 13
Little Falls, N. Y., 58, 237
Livingston, Chancellor, 469
Livingston, Robert R., 140, 450
Lloyd, Captain, 455
Lloyds, Insurance at, 214
Locke, Mr., 269
Lodge, Heiuv Cabot, 466
Log Cabin, Th&, 45, 88
Log Cabin Candidate, The, 45
London Exchange, The, 216
London Illustrated News, The, 124
London Times, The, 92, 216
Long Bridge, The, 157
Long, Henry, 106
Long Island, battle of, 19; silk-
worms in, 43
Los Capuchinos, 407
Lottery tickets, 336
Louisa, 203
Louisiana, purchase of, 14O1 36S;
march through, 243
Louis Napoleon,^K>f loi, 181
Louis Philippe, ICing. 183
Louis XIV. 's time, A map of, 1159
132
Digiti
ized by Google
Index
481
L'Ouverture, Toassaint, 322
Lower California, 390
Ludlow, Colonel, 233
Ludlowville, 9
Lycoming Valley, 9
Lydius Street, Albany, 34
Lynn Channd, 461
Lyons, Lord, 149, 179, 187, 191,
236, 4^3
MacArone, oonespoodent, 205
Macbeth, 37
Madison, President, 140, 141
Magruder, General, 233
Mamea, envoy, ^40
Manassas, rendezvous at, 158;
reverses at, 181 ; Army of Virginia
at, 206
Manderstrom, 382
Mangum, Senator, 70, 79, 102
Man hunting on the border, 108
Mann, Horace, 71
Mann, Mrs. Horace, 105
Man-of-war, life on a, 275; coaling
a, 288
Mansfield, General, 166, 203
Manzanillo, Harbour of, 390
Maracaibo, 294
MaratanM, The, 200
Marcy, Governor, 27, 31, 49
Marfil, Cafion of, 405
Margaret and Jessie, The, 354
Mannao, Cuba, 336
Marine Band, The, 80
Marseillaise, The, 183, 451
Martinique, Coffee in, 295
Maryland, journey through, 1 1 ; why
it did not secede, 177; Confederate
appeal to, 206
Mason, Ambassador, 131
Mason, Senator, 76, 79, 446
Mason and Slidell, 186
Massachusetts, the Eighth, 166;
the Sixth, 151, 157
Matsumoto Juaayu, 372
Matteson, O. B., 72
Matthias Point, 266
Matute, Senor, 400, 402
Maximilian, Emperor, 217, 290,
38^07.415.435 ^
May, Rev. Samuel J., 108
Maysi, Cape, 325
Mazeppa, 37
McCleUan, General, 168, 175, 184,
194, 196, 205. 208, 211, 228, 327
McClemand, General, 72, 212
McClintock, Conmiodore, 353
McCook, General, at Port Stevens,
248
McCreery, Secretary, 441
McCulloch, Secretary, 254
McGuire, Speaker, 430
McHeniy, ferry. Case of, 108
McKoun, Recorder, 49
McLean, Judge, 113
McLeod, case. The, 27
Meade, GenenJ, 238
Mejia, Trial of, ^107, 415
Memphis, Gen. Butler at, 194
Meraer, French Minister, 173, 180,
183, 236, 422
Memmac, The, 197, 203
Mexico, war with, 69; treaty with,
141; Prance in, 217; a talk on,
290; Seward visits, 390; rising of
181 1 in, 404; city of, 409; in-
vasion of, 414, 435; first rail-
road in, 415; conquest of, 416
Middleton, Henry, 359
Mikado, The, 382
Miles, General, 165
Miller, Andreas, 7
Miller, Elijah, 8
Miller, Jo^ah, 4
Miller, Warner, 456
Millroy, Colonel, 203
Mill Spring, Victory at, 193
Milton, II
Min^^an in Labrador, 121
Minisink, Massacre at, 20
Minnesota, Plagship, 197, 200, 235
Minor, Consul, 329
Mintum, 54
Miramon, Trial of, 407
Mirror, The, 26
Mississippi, fortifying the, 169;
opening of the, 242
Mi^uri Compromise, Repeal of
the, 91
Missouri, Victory in, 193
Mobile Bay, Battle of, 250
Mohawk St Hudson R. R., The, 34
Mohawk Valley, The, 51, 237
Molina, Mr., 237
Molino del Rey, Battle of, 411
Mona Passage, The, 279, 327, 350
Monitor, The, 200
Monmouth, Battle of, 19
Monocacy, Bridge at, 244, 246
Monroe Doctrine, The, 141, 149
Monroe, Secretary. 141; Minister to
England, 188
Montana, The, 300
Monte de Piedad, 410
Digiti
ized by Google
482
Index
Monteztuna, Alameda of, 409
Montgomerjr, Confederates at, 154
Mont^omery^ The, 269
Monticello, 17^ 18
Moore, Mr., 297, 302
Moorish episode, A, 219
Moorish guards, Bribe^r of, 222
Morehead, Mr., 102
Morgan, The buccaneer, 294
Moigan, Geoi^ge D., 160
Moigan, Governor, 160, 431, 448
Morocco, 220
Morpeth, Lord, 25
Morrill, Dr., 391
Morro Castle, 329
Morton, Senator, 80
Morus muUicaulis, 42
Mosquera, President, 382
Mother Carey's Chickens, 272 ^v
Mount Edgecumbe, 457
Mount Vernon, 17, 103, 185, 229,
265
Muir Glacier, 460
Muley el Abbas, Prince, 224
Murfreesboro, 212
Myers, Lieutenant, 220
Myers, Stephen, no
Napier, Lord, 423
Napoleon, 128, 178, 181, 471
Napoleon, Prince, 182
Napoleon III., 128, 420
Nashville, Destruction of the, 194
Nassau, A stop at, 354
National Era, The, 114
National Guard, The, 451
National Palace, Mexico's, 410, 412
National Theatre, The, 414
Natural Bri^^e, The, 16
Naugatuck, The, 201
Navy, increase in the, 161; new
vessels in the, 212
Nebraska BUI, The, 91
Nelson, Envoy, 409
Nesselrode, Diplomat, 359
Neutral Ground, The, ^
New England, Sunday in, 278
New Jersey, Silk in, 43
New Madrid, Victory at, 194
New Mexico, a slave State, 83;
acquisition of, 141
New Orleans, Parragut at, 194
Newport, Naval School at, 184, 236
Newport News, 203, 235
New Year's Day, 249, 266
New York City Charter, 431
New Yorker^ The, 26 ^
New York, soldiers ixi, 5; evacuation
of, 7; natural history of, 27;
City Hall at, 53; 7th Regiment of,
155; 71st Regiment. 159; I2th
Militia of, 163; Russian fleet at,
218
New York State Library, 56
Niagara Palls, The, 56, 132, 379, 452
Nicaragua Treaty, The, 81
Nicholas, Emperor, 360
Nicholas Nickleby, 26
Nichols, Proprietor, 37
Nineteenth Army Coips, 249
Ninety-Three, 347
Ninth Avenue Elevated R. R., 431
Ninth N. Y. Artillery, 244, 247
Niskayuna, Shakers of, 277
NocheTriste, 411
Norfolk, Navy Yard, at, 155; re-
vival at, 234
Norris, Dr., 258
Nott, Charles, 67
Nott, Dr. Eliphalet, 25, 31, 59
Nott, Judge, 93
Nott stoves, 24
Nullifiers, The, 72
Occoquan, The, 266
O'Connor, General, 354
O'Hara, P. C. T., 466
Ohio, Slavery in, 112
Old DominionjThe, 11
Old Hunkers, The, 90
Old Line Whigs, The, 90
Old Point Comfort, 270
Ole Bull, 97
Oliver Tvnst, 26
Ometusco, 415
Omnibus Bill, The, 79, 81
Ono Tomogoro, 372
Ontario County, N. Y., 43
Oonalaska, 364
Opdyke, Geoige, 160
Orange ft Alexandria R. R., 158
Orange County, N. Y., 19
Ordinance of 1793, The, 113
Oregon Debate, The, 360
Orizaba, Mount, 417, 419; dty of,
fi8
Orleans, Princes of, 183
Osaka, Japan, 372
Ossipee, The, 235
O'Sullivan, Mr., 420
Otsego County, N. Y., 237
Otsego Lake, 237
Otumba, Battlefield of, 415
Owasoo Lake, 55
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ized by Google
Index
4S3
Ozaxna, The river, 307, 327, 350
Packet boats, The, 36
Page, artist, 54
^Pago, Harbour of, 440
aer, Major, 197
Pamunkey River, The, 196
Panama, 294, 300
Panama Canal, The, 439
Panic of 1837, 21
Pardons, Applicants for, 38
Paris, A plot at, 216
Paris Bourse, The, 216
Paris, Comte de, 183
Parker, Rev. Theodore, 108
Parkman, Mr., 406
Parodi concerts, 96
Parsons, L. Sprague, 31
Partagas & Son's factory, 339
Parlant pour la Syrie, 182
Pasco, 37
Paseo, The, 3JI, 411
Paso del Macno, 419
Patent Office, The, 68
Patroons, The, 48, 430
Patroon Street, 31
Patti, Adelina, 97; Amalia, 97
Pauldine, Commodore, 156
Pauncefote, Sir Julian, 142
Pawnee, The ship, 156
Peale, Titian R., 228, 230
Pearl Street Academy, 31, 429
Peck, Commissioner, 316
Peking, Seward at, 380
Peninsula, The, 206, 228
Pennsylvania Avenue, 17
Pennsylvania, Journey through, 11
Penthi&vre, Due de, 184
Perez, Seftor, 404
Perry, Commodore, 142
"Peter," The dinner in honour of ,
184
Peter the Great, 356
Petersburg, arnvals from, 247;
siege of, 250, 251
Petion, President, 322
Phillips, Captain, 420
Phillips house. The, 231
Phillips, Mr., 287, 291
Phillip, Wendell, 96, 114
Piccolomini, 96
Pierce, 90
Pierre, The driver, 118
Pimentel, General, 310
Pinckney, 141
Pine Bridge, 8
Piney Point, 266
Piper, Count, 228, 237
Pittsbuig, Rioting in, 443
Pius IX., Pope, 382
Plantain, The, 296
Plaza de Armas, The, 331
Poletica, Diplomat, 359
Polk's F^lamation, 141
Pomeroy, Congressman, 208
Pope, General, 194, 206
Popocatepetl, Mount, 409, 413, 417
Port-au*Prince, 315, 318
Port Hudson, Battle of, 242
Port Royal, The, 201
Port Royal, 353
Porter, Admiral, 327
Porter, Captain, 194
Porter, David D., 346
Porter, Gen. Andrew, 197, 339
Porter, Peter B., 47
Porto Bello, 294
Porto Rico, 278, 280
Portrait Gallery, The, 382
Portsmouth, Rejoicing at, 199
Portuguese discoverers, 301
Potomac River, 1 1 ; Batteries on the,
162; conflicts on the, 185; a
voyage down the, 196; another
voyage, 266
Prado, President, 382
Preble, Commodore, 141
Presbyterian Seminary, 55
President's Mansion, The, 17
Prince, L. Bradford, 430
Princeton, Battle of, 19
Proclamation, Emancipation, The,
305
Prospenty during the war, 237,
24?
Provincetown, Rinaldo at, 192
Prussia, Sympathy of, 217
Puebla, 415
Puget Sound, 383
Pujol, Don Pablo, 350
Pulszky, Madame, 102
Putnam, Harvey, 72
Quails at San Domingo, 312
Quebec, voyage to, 127; port of,
300
leen Charlotte Sound, 455
leen of Spain, The, 81
leretaro, 382, 407
'^cy, Josiah, 25
Railroads, The early, 34
Raleigh, Sir Walter, 271
Ramsey, Colonel, 228,
Digiti
ized by Google
484
Index
Rapid Transit Commission, 454
Rappahannock, armies at, 212;
march to the, 232
Ravels, The, 340
Raymond, Henry J., 88
Reconstruction, Plans for, 256, 343
Reed, Lieutenant, 269
Reed, Professor, 60
Registry Law, The, 27
Reidsville, Assemblage at, 51
Rendon, Luis, 391
Rensselaerwyck, Manor of, 48
Representatives, House of, 71
Republican artillery, 51
Republican convention, 431
Republican party, rise of, 90, 146,
344
Resources of the North, 237
Riviere, President, 322
Revolution of 1820, The, 281
Reynolds, General, 238, 239
Richmond, slave market at, 16, 107;
march toward, 194; armies at,
204; siege of, 250, 251, 252
Right of petition. The, 57
Rinaldo, British frigate, 192, 199
Rip Raps, The, 235
Risley, Elijah, 72
Roberts, Mr., 269
Robinson, George T., nurse, 258
Rochambeau, 449
Rochester, Adams at, 57; the mills
Rock Piflon, 411
Rockville, Headquarters at, 175
Rodman, Mr., 456
Rogier, 382
Rome, N. Y., 237
Romero, Minister, 409, 412, 415,
419. 436^^
Romero y Vargas, Governor, 417
Root, Elihu. 466
Rosecrans, General, 212, 243
Roumain, General, 321
Rowland, Captain, 349
Rubio factories. The, 407
Ruggles, 54
Rush, Richard, 359
Russell, Earl, 382
Russia, explanation from, 150;
friendship of, 218; two fleets
from, 218; representative of, 237;
Alaska sold by, 361, 463
Russian Fur Company, The, 360
Sabine Pass, 243
Sackett, William A., 72
Sacrificial stone, Aztec, 410
St. Cyr Cadets, The, 171
St. George and the Dragon^ 37
St. Helena, 471
St. John's, 368
St. John's Church in Washington^
147
St. John, West Indies, 304
St. Nicholas Mole, 327
St. Paul, Minn., Seward at, 359
St. Petersburg, Legation at, 218
St. Thomas, landing at, 283;
splendour of, 284; houses at, 286;
diurches, 287; General Santa
Anna, 290; legends of, 293; the
coffee-tree, 295; commerdal char-
acter, 297; history of, 298; pro-
posal to purchase, 346, 368; port
of. 438
Salamanca, 406
Samana, port of, 327; bay of, 350
Samoa, Story of, 437
San Augustin, 399
San Domingo, Spain seizes, 149;
coast of, 279; coffee from, 306;
arrival at, 307; architectiu^ of,
309; President Baez, 509; recogni-
tion of, 310; grave of uoltunbus,
311; laziness at, 314; church of,
330; a diplomatic visit to, 344;
offers to join U. S., 356; treaty
with, J56; monarchy of. 414
Sandwidi Islands, King ot, 81
San Fernando, Graves at, 411
Sanford, Mr., at Paris, 178
San Francisco, Russian fleet at, 218;
Seward at, 383
Sangamon, The, 235
San Jos^, Festival of, 396
San Juan, 415
San Juan de los Lagos, 404
San Juan del Rio, 408
San Juan de Ulloa, 419
San Marcos, Hacienda of, 395
San Miguel de Belan, Hospital of,
400
San Pedro, 404
San Salvador, Island of, 275, 302
Santa Afla Acatlan, 399
Santa Anna, General, 200
Santa Clara, Convent ex, 311
Santa Cruz, vovage to, 272;
arrival at, 302; harvests of, 303;
Danes of, 304; industry at, 305;
port of, 439
Sant' Anita, 399
Savannah, Capttu« of, 250
Digiti
ized by Google
Index
485
i'..
34, 237;
Sayula, Town of, J598
Schenck, Robert C.,71
Schenectady, N.
College of, 447
Schermerhom, A. M., 72
Schleiden, Mr., 228, 236, 419
Schoolcraft, John L., 72
School district libraries, 27
School system, The, 27
Schuyler mansion, 430 "
Scott, General, 25, 72, 90, 134, 157,
165
Sebastopol, 300
Secession, The ordinance of, 150,
154
Seigneurs, The, 126
Selfridge, Lieutenant, 200
Seneca Falls, 9, 237
Seneca Lake, 237
Serrano, General, 310
Seven Days' Battles, The, 204
Seventh of March speech. The, 76
Seventh Rejgiment, The, 451
Sewall's Point, 197
Seward, Fanny, 204, 258
Seward, Frederick W., first recol-
lections, I ; journey to Albany, 2 ;
a carriage journey, 8; Southern
hospitality, 12; first visit to
Washington, 17; visit to the
President, 18; the panic of 1837,
21 ; visit by Clay, 22 ; New Year's
at Albany, 28; school in Albany,
31; early railroad experiences, 34;
early theatrical memories, 36;
the Morus tnulticaulis, 42; the
Harrison campaign, 44; theHeld-
erbei^g War, 48 ; an artistic contest,
53; father's portrait, 56; entering
college, 58; leaving college, 66; in
Washington, 68; secretary to
father, 68 ; admitted to the Bar, 84 ;
in journalism, 84; editorials by,
89; a new word, 91 ; Thanksgiving,
92; life in Albany, 95; the Hunr.
garian Libertv Ass'n., 99; a
voyage, 116; the Baltimore plot,
134; meets Robert Lincoln, 135;
meets Abraham Lincoln, 136;
Assistant Secretary of State, 139;
a month of suspense, 145; a
bearer of messages, 147; the call
to arms, 150; a college classmate,
161; St. Cyr Cadets, 171; under
fire, 173; visit from Ministers,
179; after Bull Run, 181 ; receives
Ftince Napoleon, 182; at Brazil-
ian Legation, 184; Trollope at
dinner with, 190; a cruise, 194;
at Fort Huger, 201; a season of
reverses, 204; the military situa-
tion, 212; foreign relations, 213;
a Moorish episode, 219; letter to
Morocco, 226; the Emancipation
Proclamation, 227; a visit to the
army, 228; an excursion with
diplomats, 236; changing generals,
238; aspects of the war, 242; at
Fort Stevens, 248; the year's
record, 249; end of the war, 251 ;
message from Lincoln, 254;
assassination night, 258; attempt
on life, 259; after the assassina-
tion, 262; cruise to West Indies,
263; a stormy voyage, 270; at
tropic of Cancer, 275 ; St. Thomas,
283; dinner with the Governor,
292; at Santa Cruz, 302; at San
Domingo, 306; at Hayti, 315;
at Havana, 327; dines with the
Captain-General, 339; homeward
bound, 342 ; at Washington, 343 ; a
diplomatic visit to San Domingo,
344; a stormy voyage, 348; re-
ports progress, 355; story of
Alaska, 356; purchase of Alaska,
360; Seward's diary, 365; Orien-
tal indemnity, 368 ; envoys from
China, 377; the portrait gallery,
J82; visit to Alaska, 383; Napo-
leon HL, 420; a talk with de
I'Huys, 420; retires to the coun-
try, 429; writes father's memoirs,
429; legislative life, 429; again
Assistant Secretary, 433; in-
terview with Stephens, 434; the
story of Samoa, 437; a Pittsburg
mob, 441; country life, 447; the
Yorktown Centennial, 450; taxa-
tion in New York, 453; visit to
Alaska, 455 ; letter to Tribune, 464
Seward, Grandfather, 18
Seward, Col. John, 19
Seward, Mrs., 456
Seward Street, 461
Seward, William H., Governor, 24;
portraits of, 54; at Union College,
58; Senator, 71; speech on
slavery, 77; the slaveholders'
dream, 80; defends Van Zandt,
113; voyage to Anticosti, 120;
visit to Europe, 128; an abolition-
ist, 131; sees the Emperor, 132;
appointed Secretary of State,
Digiti
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486
Index
Seward, William H. — Continued
142; presented with a cane, 1^5;
takes charge of foreign affairs,
147; suggestions for Lincoln, 149;
prepares blockade, 160; visits
cami)s, 167; receives French and
English Ministers, 180; circular
dispatch, 181, 193; visit of Prince
Napoleon, 182; the Trent case,
187 ; praise for, 191 ; inspects fleets,
195; letter to daughter, 204;
Conference of Governors, 205;
a conference at home, 207; dinner
to Russians, 218; New Year's
Day, 227; visits troops, 228;
visits Suffolk, 233; the diplomatic
corps, 236; at Fort Stevens, 248;
Confederate deserters, 251; a
caniajge accident, 251 ; last meet-
ing with Lincoln, 253; attempt to
kill, 259; sentinels on guard, 261;
trip to West Indies, 263; the
"Bulldog" affair, 270; welcome
at St. Thomas, 292; interest in
West Indies, 304; visits President
Baez, 310; visits President Gef-
frard, 321; saluted at Hayti, 323;
at Havana, 332; speech at St.
Paul, ^59; purchase of Alaska,
363; diary of, 365; memoirs of,
367; commissioners from Tapan,
374; visit to China, 380; ''^Great
Tyee" in Alaska, 383; retires
from office, 383 ; invited to Mexico,
390; welcome in Mexico, 398;
a ball in honour of, 401 ; dinner in
honour of, 413; departure from
Mexico, ^15; speech at Cholula,
417; at Vera Cruz, 419; letter
to Juarez, 419; visit to Cuba,
420; visits Paris, 420; death of,
429
Seward, William H., Jr., 244, 247
"Seward's Polly," 363
Seivard's Works, 172
Shadrach, Case of, 107
Shakers, The, 277
Shakespeare, William, 26, 66, 271
Sharon Springs, 237
Sharpsburg, Armies at, 208, 211
Shelikoff, Governor, 358
Shenandoah Valley, The, 11, 243,
250
Sheridan, General, 250
Sherman, General, 168; advance of,
250; telegram to, 260
Sherwood stages, The, 35
Shields, General, 194
Shields, Senator, 80
"Shinplasters," 21
Shreveport, March on, 243
Siberia, Explorations in, 357
Sibley, Henry K., 72
Sickles, General, 231, 238
Sidi Mohammed Bargash, 220
Sierra Madre, The, 394
Silkworms, 42
"Silver Spring," 245
Simonton, James W., 09
Sims, Thomas, Case of, 107, 445
Sing Sing prison, 41
Sitka, castle at, 358; commissioners
^. at, 364,381,457
Sixth Corps, The, 248
Skagway, 461
Skinners, The marauders, 5
Slaveholders' Dream, The, 80
Slavery, J. Q. Adams on, 57; re-
striction of, 74; discussions on, ^i ;
captures, 106; dividing line in,
112; the issues of, 149; speech on,
413
Smallwood, Joseph, 264, 273
Smith, Capture of William, 107
Smith, Capt. John, 201
Smith, £. Peshine, 85, 91
Smith, Gerrit, 108
Smith, Somers, 350
Smith, Truman, 80
Smithsonian, The, 69
Smugglers at St. Thomas, 299
Snyder, Major, 247
Softs, The, 90
Soldiers, Wounded, 248
Soule, Pierre, 70
South Carolina, Nullificatioa by,
141
South College, 60
Southern Cross, The, 278, 315
Southern Press, The, 102
South Mountain, Victory at, 212,
South Pearl Street, 24
Spain, treaty with, 141; note to,
150; jealousy of, 213; war with,
356
Spanish-American revolutions, 352
Spanish discoverers, 301
Spanish Main, The, 279
Spaulding, Elbridge G., 72
Speed, Attomey-CSeneral, 254
Spencer, Ambrose, 25, 37
Spencer, John C, 25
Spinner, Francis £., 431
Digiti
ized by Google
Index
487
Spokane, Steamer, 455
Spottsylvania, Battle of, 250
Stanley, Edward, 71
Stanton, Frederick P., 71
Stanton, Secretaiy, 166, 207, 238,
243, 255, 260
State Department, The old, 139;
new bmlding of, 141
State governments. Restoring, 256
State prison at Auburn, 57
State Street, Albany, 34
Staunton, Va., 16
Stephens, Alexander H., 71, 432
Steuben, Baron, 449, 452
Stevens, John A., 450
Stevens, Thaddeus, 71, 84, 345
Stewart, Lispenard, 450
Stoeckl, Mr., 236, 360
Stone, Colonel, 134, 166
Stonewall, The, 374
Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 114
Stiakosch, 97
Strasburg, Retreat to, 194
Stratton, Colonel, 203
Suffolk, Post at, 233
Sumner, General, 168
Sunmer, George, 96
Sumner, Lieutenant, 268
Sumner, Senator, 139, 362, 373
Sumter, The cruiser, 220, 222
Sun Chia Ku, 376
Sun, The N. V., 89
Susquehanna, The, 198, 200
Sweden, sympathy of. 217; minister
from, 237; Queen of, 447
Swedish Lotion, 447
Swiss Bellrmgers, The, 96
Switzerland, Anxiety in, 217
Syracuse, N. Y., 35, 237
Taber, Azor, 52
Tacher, Colonel, 120
Tacon Theatre, The, 331, 340
Tacubaya, 411, 414
Taft, Lieut.-Col., 244
Taku Glacier, 460
Talleyrand, Treaty with, 140
Tangier, City of, 219
Tarleton, Colonel, 6
Tarleton's Dragoons, 5
Tassara, Sefior, 150, 216
Taxation in New York, 453
Taylor, President, 69, 72, 82
Techaluta, 398, 400
Tehuacan, 41^
Telegram, Ongin of the word, 91
Telegraph, Intercontinental, 2x8
Tempest, The, 270
Ten Eyck, John, 85
Ten Eyck, Fhilip, 85
Ten Evck, Visacher, 85
TennaUytown, fortifications at, 175;
road to, 247
Tennessee, Regaining, 193
Tepeaca, City of, 417
Tepetitlan,^
Territories, The new, 73
Texas, debt of, 74; script, 83;
boundary bill, 83; annexation of,
141
Tezcooo, Lake, 411
Thayer, Mrs. G. W., 456
Thayer, Rufus H., 456
Thayer, Samuel R., 456
Theatre, Memories or the, 36
Thirteen, Committee of, 79
Thlinket Indians, 4^8
Thomas, General, Victory, of, 193
Thompson, Jacob, 71
Thornton, &r Edward, 440
Thouvend, 178, 382
Tilden, Governor, 430, 433
Times, the N. Y., Founding of, 89
Tio Joaquin, 407
Tippecanoe and Tyler, 44
Titus, Great-grandmother Paulina,
4.6
Tlascala, City of, 416
Todos Santos, Festival of, 405
Tom Cringle* s Log, 36
Tompkins, Governor, 24, 40, 469
Tonila, Mexico, 395
Toombs, Robert, 71
Tortuga. Island ot, 294
Tower of London, 26
Tracy, Uncle, 2
Treasury Building, the new, 140
TredweU mine. The, 460
Trent Affair, The, 186, 215, 468
Trenton Falls, 237
Trescott, Secretaty, 142, 435
Tribune, Letter to the, 464, 466
Tribune, The N. Y., 45, 88
TroUope, Anthony, 190
Troops, the call for, 152; raising
new, 207
Troy City Guards, 51
Tucier, Mr., 197
Tung Chi, 382
Tunstall, U. S. Consul, 220, 226
Turner, George, 466
Tuscarora, The, 223
Tweed Ring. The, 89
Two Years Before the Mast^ 27
Digiti
ized by Google
488
Index
Tycoon of Jfapan, The, 382
Tyler, President, 141
Uncle Tom's Cabin, iii, 114, 412
Undei^ground Railroad, The, 109
XJndeiwxl, Henry, 26
Union army in the West, The, 193
Union College, 59, 161, 448
Union Guards, The, 51
United States, The, 197
Upham, Senator, 80
Ursula, Saint, 302
Utah, Territory of, 79
Utica, N. Y., Railroad at, 35, 237
Utrecht, The Treaty of, 215
Valendano mine, The, 406
Van Alien, York, 39
Van Buren, John, 49
Van Buren, President, 21, 69
Vandalia, The, 451
Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 450
Vanderbilt, The, 197
Vanity Fair, quoted, 205
Van Rensselaer, family, 48;
General, 48; Stephen, 49; Court-
landt, 49
Van Rensselaer Guards, 51
Van Rensselaer mansion, 430
Van Schleinitz, 382
Van Trompe, John, 115
Van Valkenburg, Congressman, 208
Van Valkenbui^g, General, 371, 375
Van Zandt, John, iii
Vamum, General Jas. B., 450
V^, General, 395
Vemce, Liberation of, .90
Venta de los Pajaros, 404
Vera Cruz, 294, 414. 4^9
Vexplanck, Gulian C, 27
Vicksbuig, aeg(s of, 212; fall of,
216; battle of, 242
Victor Emmanuel, 90
Victoria, B. C, 383
Victoria Hotel, Nassau, 354
Victoria, Queen, 80, 440
Viel^, General, 197, 234
Vilie de Malaga, The, 222
^^ton, Samuel P., 71
Viiginia Controversy, 27
Viiginia, valley of , 1 1 ; travel in, 12 ;
mother of IHesidents, 13; slavery
in. 13; secession of, 146, 150, 154
Vixgin Islands, The, 302
Vii:gin Maiv, The, 411
Vlansallv, Minister, 380
voQ Schiocer, Dr., 440
WachuseU, The, 200
Walewski, Minister, 129, 424
Walker, Captain William M., 268,
WaUcer, Consul, 297
Walker, Robert J., 367
Wallace, General, 244, 246
"Wahiissia,"363
Wan Siang, 375, 380
War of 1812, The, 191
War, The endixig of the, 252
Ward, Death ofT 266
Washbume, £. JB., 138
Washington, visit to, 17; plan of,
1^0; plans to attack, 154; siege
of, 155; defence of, 158; menaced
from Frederick, 2oi5; £arly's raid,
243; attack on, 244; prepara-
tions for attack, 247; fortifica-
tions at, 248; rdief of, 249; re«
joidng in, 253
Washington, Geoxge, 8; early cam-
paigns, of, 11; Colonel Seward
under, 19; Uie by Irving, 20;
home of, 185; bust of in Hayti,
322; guns used by, 449
Washington Market, 288
Washington Navy Yard, 375
Washington's Bible, 104
Washington's Birthday, 138
"Washington's Chamber,'^ 16
Washington's Headquarters, 232
Webster, Daniel, 25, 47, 70, 76, 79,
141
Webster's Dictionary, 34
Webster, E. D., 192
Weed, Thurlow, 26, 27, 84, 448
Weed, Uncle, 2
Welles, Secretary, 105, 254
WellinfiiXMi, Duke ot, 359
Wells Colk^e, 304
Wells, Mr., 30^
Wentworth, Jonn, 72
West College, 61
Westerlo Street, 23
Western international law, 378
West Indies, A cruise to the, 265
West Point, graduates of, 168; gun-
boats at, 196, 451
Weyer's Cave, 10
Wheaton, Henry G., 52
Wheaton's International Lam, 379
Wheeler, Congressman, 208
Whelan, Dr. and Mrs., 195
Whigs, Collapse of the, 90
White Pass Railroad, 461, 462
White Plains, Battle of, 19
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Index
489
Whittier, Jolm G., 114
Wilbeiforoe, Portiait of, 322
Wilderness, Battle of the, 244; Lee
at, 250
Wilkes. Captain, 193
Wilkesbarre, Pa., 107
Willard's Hotel, Lincola at, 139
William, Head-waiter, 24
Willianisport, 11
Wilmot, David, 71
Winchester, Retreat from, 194
Windward Islands, The, 299, 325
Winne, Giles, 85
Winne, Jacob, 8j
Winslow, Captain, 250
\^^throp, Robert C, 71
Wise, Rabbi, 99
"Woman in White,** The, 411, 413
Wool, General, 200
Wormley's Hotel, 372
Worth Monument; The, 451
Wiangel, Port, 365, 456
Yates, Governor, 24
Yeddo, Japan, 372
York River, 195, 196, 233
Yorktown, earthworks at, 196, 197,
232; centennial of, 447, 449
Yukon River, The, 364, 451S, 463
Zacoaloo, 308
Zapotlan, Town of, 396
Zapotlanejo, Church at, 404
Zaragosay Victory of, 416
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